^ 


I 


TYLNEY    HALL. 


THOMAS    HOOD, 


AUTHOR     OF     THE     COMIC     ANNUAL,     ETC. 


■^        ''   -  ,  5     "        3 


FRANKLIN    LIBRARY    EDITION. 


HARTFORD: 
S.    ANDRUS     AND     SON 

1850. 


Z-/^l). 


■7/ 


•      *    • 


DEDICATION. 


TO  HIS  GRACE  THE   DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE. 

My  lord  Duke  :  It  has  often  happened  to  me,  in  my  sea-side 
rambles,  to  behold  the  name  of  some  illustrious  personage  gracing 
a  craft  of  very  humble  pretensions.  Such  an  inscription  doubtless 
exalts  the  vessel  in  the  eyes  of  its  owner ;  for  instance,  the  master 
of  the  William  the  Fourth  must  feel  something  of  the  conscious 
dignity  of  a  prime  minister,  when  he  takes  the  helm  in  his  hand 
to  guide  his  sovereign  through  his  watery  empire, 

SotHetimes  the  name  on  the  stern  of  the  vessel  is  a  memorial  of 
past  kindness  and  condescension  on  the  part  of  the  noble  godfather 
or  godmother  ;  and  then,  far  as  the  wind  may  urge,  or  the  waves 
compel  the  little  bark,  a  sentiment  of  respect,  gratitude,  and  at- 
tachment, goes  along  with  it.  In  perpetuating  these  feelings,  a 
fishing-boat  may  become  a  pleasure-boat  to  its  proprietor. 

In  this  spirit,  I  prefix  your  Grace's  name  to  this  Work,  the  first 
I  launch  of  its  kind  ;  and  whether  it  be  fated  to  live  at  sea,  or  to 
rot  on  shore,  it  will  bear  witness  that  I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

My  Lord  Duke, 
Your  Grace's  much  obliged  and  devoted  servant, 

Thomas  Hood. 
Lake  House,  Wanstead,  October  20,  1834. 


|vjyM87 


INTRODUCTION 


I  WAS  sitting  snugly  in  my  sanctorum,  with  the  remains  of  a  bottle  of 
port  wine  before  me,  wherewith,  according  to  custom,  I  had  dismissed  a 
new  work  from  the  stocks,  when,  after  a  preliminary  tap  at  the  door,  two 
strangers  presented  themselves,  and  with  much  bowing  and  many  invita- 
tions were  induced  to  take  chairs  on  either  side  of  the  table.  I  saw  them 
individually  glance  at  the  shallow  pool  of  purple  that  occupied  the  bottom 
of  the  decanter  ;  and,  with  my  usual  sense  of  the  duties  of  hospitality 
before  they  had  done  hemming  and  clearing  their  throats  preparatory  tc 
declaring  the  purport  of  their  visit,  a  fresh  magnum  was  glowing  through 
the  crystal.  Whilst  they  were  enjoying  and  commending  the  raciness 
of  a  celebrated  vintage,  I  took  the  opportunity  oftscrutinizing  my  guests  ; 
and  certainly  no  two  human  beings  could  present  more  essential  dif- 
ferences both  in  face  and  figure.  One  was  tall  and  thin,  with  a  pre- 
posterously long  body  and  a  lugubrious  pale  face ;  whereas  the  other 
was  short  and  punchy,  with  a  round,  shining,  chubby,  ruddy  coun- 
tenance, that  did  not  seem  to  have  kept  pace  with  his  age,  but  had 
remained  a  boy's  head  on  a  man's  shoulders.  He  spoke  smartly,  with  a 
brisk,  merry  voice,  occasionally  breaking  into  a  joyous  chuckle,  without 
any  apparent  cause  but  the  mere  exuberance  of  animal  spirits.  His  com- 
panion, on  the  contrary,  had  a  slow,  deep,  melancholy  drawl,  wjth  a  touch 
of  the  conventicle  twang  in  it,  and  he  indulged  in  periodical  suspirations 
as  regularly  recurring  as  the  pattern  of  an  area-railing,  ten  breathings  and 
then  a  sigh,  ten  more  and  another  sigh,  and  so  on.  I  could  hardly  help 
comparing  myself,  with  all  due  modesty  as  to  talents,  to  Garrick  between 
Tragedy  and  Comedy,  in  the  celebrated  picture  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 
One  peculiarity  forcibly  struck  my  notice;  at  every  sip  of  his  wine  the 
little  fellow's  eyes  brightened  and  twinkled  with  greater  glee,  till  every 
instant  I  expected  he  wonild  break  out  into  some  lusty  carol ;  while  the 
other  took  great  gulps,  and  at  every  draught  became  more  dull  and  dis- 
mal ;  as  if  he  had  been  swallowing  so  much  ditch-water.  Every  inch  ot 
his  face  seemed  to  take  an  ell,  and  his  voice  became  proportionately 
doleful,  till  at  last  it  fairly  tolled  like  a  passing-bell.  Both  seemed  to 
feel  some  awkwardness  at  broaching  the  subject  of  their  visit ;  and  after 
sundry  significant  nods  and  winks  had  been  bandied  to  and  fro  between 
them,  I  made  bold  to  inquire  their  names,  and  to  what  circumstance  1 
was  indebted  for  the  honour  of  their  company. 

"  My  friend,  Mr.  Maurice,"  said  the  little  man,  "  is  the  reader  at 
Messrs.  Stukeley's  printing-office." 

"And  my  friend,  Mr.  Collis,"  said  the  tall  man,  "is  the  reader  at 
Messrs.  Burnett's." 

"  As  such.  Sir,"  said  the  Grig,  with  a  grin,  "  it  was  my  pleasant  duty 
to  read,  revise,  and  correct  the  proof  sheets  of  the  first  two  volumes  of 
your  mirth-provoking  novel, — 0  lord!" — and  throwing  himself  back  in 
his  chair,  he  laughed  till  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks,  as  if  at  the  re- 
membrance of  some  very  funny  passage. 

"  And  in  a  similar  capacity,"  said  the  grave  Maurice,  "  I  had  the  plea- 
sure (a  sigh)  of  reading  the  third  volume,  and,  without  flattery,  I  enjoyed 
it  as  much  as  ever  I  did  anything  in  my  life." 

The  doleful  look  that  accompanied  this  assurance,  rendered  the  com- 
pliment rather  equivocal ;  however  I  bowed  right  and  left,  preserving  my 
gravity  as  well  as  I  could,  which  was  a  little  disconcerted  by  the  extreme 
ontrast  of  the  two  personages  that  alternately  saluted  me.     The  only 


Ti  INTRODUCTION. 

point  they  had  in  common  was  a  relish  for  the  wine :  they  evidently 
thought  it  good,  and  kept  pulling  proofs  of  it  with  the  perseverance  of 
pressmen  ;  but  the  long  face  only  grew  still  gloomier,  whilst  the  short  one, 
in  quirks  and  cranks,  and  waggish  workings,  began  to  emulate  that  of 
Tim  Bobbin.  He  was  pleased  to  inform  me,  with  a  physiognomy  wliich 
could  only  have  been  appropriately  framed  in  a  horse-collar,  "  that  he 
had  once  read  a  serious  poem  of  mine  with  great  gratification,  and  he 
must  regret  I  now  did  so  little  in  that  line  ;"  which  drew  from  the  sad  one 
a  dreary  sentence  in  favor  of  a  certain  "  jocose  eifusion,"  coupled  with  a 
sort  of  lament  that  I  now  drew  as  little  from  my  jocular  vein  as  my  jug- 
ular. Of  course  I  bowed  again,  albeit  not  a  little  surprised  at  such  ob- 
jections ;  and  after  another  glass,  we  came  to  business.  I  was  given  to 
understand  that  according  to  the  general  custom  of  printing-offices,  my 
present  work  had  undergone,  not  a  retrospective  review,  but  a  prospec- 
tive one,  before  the  sheets  were  gathered  for  the  binder,  and  Messrs. 
Maurice  and  CoUis  were  the  organs  of  their  respective  fraternities,  charged 
to  convey  to  me  the  strictures  which  the  precocious  critics  of  their  sev- 
eral coteries  had  thought  proper  to  pass  upon  my  novel.  Accustomed  as 
I  had  been,  when  Editor  of  a  Magazine,  to  receive  and  listen  to  com- 
ments from  such  quarters  on  the  articles  of  my  contributors,  I  felt  less 
surprise  than  another  author  might  have  done  at  such  an  intimation, 
and,  like  Sir  Fretful  Plagiary,  I  expressed  my  perfect  readiness  to  listen 
to  their  candid  opinions.  Of  course  I  expected  to  find  a  sharp  flavour  in 
some  of  their  remarks;  even  as  Dr.  Kitchiner,  in  a  recipe  for  punch, 
now  before  me,  actually  recommends  as  the  best  acid,  a  due  proportion 
of  "critic,'^  a  word  he  doubtlessly  considered  equivalent  to  citric,  or 
quintessence  of  lemon  ;  so  I  summoned  up  my  philosophy  accordingly. 

The  Momus  began  ;  and  I  confess,  to  my  astonishment,  his  main  ob- 
jection to  my  novel  insinuated  a  dearth  of  the  pathetic. 

"  Not,"  he  said,  "  but  there  is  abundance  of  bloodshed  and  shedding  oi 
tears:  if  I  recollect  rightly,  the  second  volume  alone  contains  a  divorce, 
arson,  burglary,  and  suicide.  But  what  of  that  ?  Excuse  me,  sir,  for 
s?fying  so,  but  we  know  your  tricks.  We  are  not  such  fools  as  to  snivel 
when  all  the  while  you  are  grinning  at  us  in  your  sleeve." 

"  Well,  you  amaze  me,  sir,"  said  I,  involuntarily  lifting  up  my  hands  ; 
*'  it  was  my  own  impression  that,  on  the  whole,  my  novel  was  too  sombre." 

"  Excuse  me,"  answered  the  Droll,  "you  were  never  more  mistaken. 
There  are  things  that  might  be  pathetic  fi'om  other  pens — but  we  know 
you  of  old.  Even  your  horrors  don't  take  us  in, — show  us  a  clot  of  co- 
agulated blood,  and  v/e  tip  one  another  the  wink,  and  say  '  currant  jelly.' 
For  instance,  there  is  the  murder  of  Belmour,  Higgs  tittered  all  the  time 
he  was  setting  it  up  ;  and  fof  my  own  part,  when  the  proof  came  before 
me  at  dmner-time,  I  confess  I  fairly  choked  in  my  pint  of  stout." 

"  And  I  wish  you  had  !"  I  exclaimed,  testily,  nettled  beyond  patience 
at  such  a  reception  of  my  pet  catastrophe.  "  But  that's  the  Way  with 
your  would-be  critics  :  they  are  as  absurd  as  Dr.  Johnson  in  his  defini- 
tion of  wit.  It  traces  resemblances,  says  he,  and  judgment  detects  dif- 
ferences ;  as  if,  forsooth,  the  same  faculty  that  perceived  the  likeness  oi 
a  man  to  a  monkey,  did  not  involve  the  ability  of  distinguishing  a  horse 
from  a  hog.  So,  if  a  man  be  alive  to  the  ludicrous,  by  your  lop-siJea 
theory  he  can  have  no  sympathy  with  the  pathetic  :  because  he  is  some- 
times in  jest,  you  will  never  allow  him  to  be  serious.  I  do  verily  be- 
lieve, if  I  were  to  publish  the  elegy  I  wrote  on  my  youngest  boy,  who 
was  taken  from  me  by  scarlet  fever  last  June,  you  would  be  hunting  for 
jokes  in  the  lamentation  of  a  bereaved  llither,  and  looking  for  puns  in  it." 

"  To  be  sure,  Sir,"  answered  the  Risible,  with  a  broad  grin.  "  I  cor- 
rect the  Comic.    But  to  return  to  the  novel. — There's  the  interview  of 


INTRODUCTION.  Vii 

Leonora  with  her  lover,  after  taking  the  veil ;  I  thought  it  the  funniest 
thing  I  had  ever  read  !  I  did,  Sir,  upon  my  life.  But  I  didn't  stand 
alone,  the  whole  office  roared  at  it — roared,  Sir," — and  the  villain  gave 
me  a  fresh  sample  of  his  own  powers  by  "  laughing  consumedly." 

"  I  assure  you.  Sir,"  said  the  Lugubrious,  hastening  to  interpose,  "  we 
think  ver}'  differently  at  Messrs.  Stukeley's.  To  our  tastes,  and  to  my 
own  especially,  your  three  volumes  are  too  exclusively  gloomy  and  de- 
pressing. The  compositors  compared  it  to  newspaper  work;  nothing 
but  Shocking  Accidents,  Afflicting  Events,  and  Lamentable  Occurrences. 
It  wants  relief — an  occasional  humorous  sketch  ;  if  there  were  but  a 
single  chapter  that  one  could  smile  over — but  it  is  all  wretched  and  mis- 
erable from  title  to  finis." 

I  was  goina:  to  reply,  but  the  Democritus  forestalled  me.  "  Ha  !  ha  ! 
ba  !  ha  !  ho  !  ho  !  ho  !"  he  shouted  ;  "  Maurice,  my  boy,  you  should  have 
read  the  parting  of  Isabella  and  Theodore,  when  he  was  banished  !"  and 
again  his  "lungs  crowed  like  chanticleer," 

Was  there  ever  such  a  provoking  scoundrel  ?  I  longed  to  make  him 
laugh  on  the  wrong  side  of  his  mouth  ;  but  I  subdued  the  risins:  passion, 
and  addressed  him  with  what  I  considered  to  be  coolness.  "Tastes  dif- 
fer." I  said,  "  and  I  cannot  answer  for  the  vagaries  it  may  choose  to  take 
with  certain  individuals.  For  instance.  Sir,"  (and  I  gave  him  a  nod,  as 
much  as  to  say.  You  may  take  it  to  yourself,)  "'  Nero  fiddled  whilst  Rome 
was  burning ;  and  there  may  be  mental  palates  so  depraved  as  to  find  a 
mirthful  relish  even  in  the  heart-rending  of  a  poor  female,  divorced  for 
ever  from  the  object  of  her  affections.  As  for  the  incident  that  made 
you  so  merrj'.  Sir,  I  can  only  say,  that  my  own  family,  and  they  ousht  to 
know  me  best,  so  little  suspected  me  of  any  underhand  mockery,  that 
they  bestowed  their  own  tears  on  the  misery  of  Isabella.  I  will  not  swear 
that  I  did  not  turn  a  little  womanish  myself  at  hearing  the  chapter  in 
question  impressively  read  aloud  by  the  touching  voice  of  my  wife." 

"  And  Pluto  as  /  am  in  general,"  said  the  Heraclitus  with  a  pavior's 
sigh,  "  I  will  not  deny  that  it  drew  iron  tears  down  my  cheek,  when  my 
wife  in  the  same  manner  read  aloud  the  disasters  of  the  poor  unfortunate 
Pedrillo,  and  his  terror  when  detained  by  the  banditti." 

"'  What,  cry  at  that  !"  ejaculated  the  Laugher,  and  he  burst  into  a 
fresh  peal,  which  for  the  first  time  I  forgave  him.  as  the  distresses  of 
Pedrillo  were  intended  to  be  of  a  ludicrous  character ;  but  I  quickly  re- 
A-uked  my  pardon,  when  the  fellow  added,  "  that  it  was  as  comical  as 
anything  in  the  book,  the  deathbed  of  Gaspar  always  e^ccepted.'^ 

"Ay,  now  you  are  joking,  Collis,"  said  the  Sepulchral,  "the  exit  of 
the  robber  is  undeniably  horrible,  and  so  is  the  poisoning  of  Sancho — 
beyond  anything  in  the  range  of  fiction." 

i  stared  alternately  at  the  speakers,  for  the  said  poisoning  was  merely 
3!na2:inary,  like  that  of  Justice  Frogmore  in  Humphrey  Clinker.  I  could 
hardly  persuade  myself  but  that  the  pair  of  Readers  had  planted  theni- 
S' Ives  upon  me  to  enjoy  a  concerted  jest  at  my  expense,  except  that  it 
Avould  have  been  an  offensive  liberty  of  the  first  magnitude.  However, 
I  resolved  to  turn  the  tables,  and  as  they  had  given  me  some  annoyance, 
I  determined  to  retaliate.  I  was  meditating  on  the  means,  when  aftei-  an 
important  hem,  with  a  tone  peculiarly  solemn,  the  grave  Maurice  brought 
forward  an  objection,  to  which  he  gave  all  the  weight  he  could  by  the 
specific  gravity  of  his  countenance. 

"  It  is  an  ungrateful  office,"  he  said,  "  but  as  the  representative  of  a 
class  distinguished  as  the  decidedly  serious,  I  am  called  upon  to  notice 
vith  reprehension  the  great  freedoms  you  take  with  a  body  of  men,  who 
might  be  called  in  justice,  as  they  are  in  derision,  the  Saints.  It  has  the 
tensure  of  the  whole  office, — yes,  Sir,  down  to  the  very  devils." 


tiii  INrtROUTTCTION*. 

The  ludicrous  association  conveyed  by  the  last  part  of  the  sentence 
made  me  join  in  an  involuntary  chorus  with  the  Jovial ;  but  my  consti- 
tutional antipathy  to  cant  and  canters  soon  roused  my  spleen,  and  left  no 
more  hilarity  in  my  laugh  than  in  a  hyaena's,  "If  you  mean  the  picture 
of  Brother  Pius,"  said  I,  "it  is  but  a  rough  sketch,  a  mere  outline  to  the 
finished  coloured  portrait  I  mean  sonie  day  to  draw  of  a  hypocritical, 
canting,  trading,  time-serving  knave, — one  who  makes  his  Ledger  his 
Bible,  and  the  latter  his  Waste-book  ;  a  lying,  cogging,  Maw-worm,  that 
will  commit  strictly  pious  frauds,  and  cheat  to  a  decidedly  serious  amount. 
I  know  the  breed  well;  they  are  vile  birds  of  prey,  not  mounting  up- 
wards like  the  sweet  lark  to  carol  at  heaven's  gate,  but  that  they  may 
make  a  stoop  the  better  upon  earth  and  its  carrion." 

The  dismal  one  turned  up  his  eyes  till  I  saw  nothing  but  the  whites — an 
action  which  produced  a  fresh  burst  of  merriment  from  his  opposite  neigh- 
bour ;  but  it  was  a  sound  of  which  I  began  to  get  weary,  and  I  resolved  if 
possible  to  rid  myself  of  my  guests.     I  drew  myself  up  stiffly  before  I  spoke. 

"  After  all,  gentlemen,  is  there  not  something  in  this  of  the  Souter  out 
of  Selkirk,  or  the  cobler  beyond  his  last  ?  To  my  humble  apprehension 
your  province  is  to  correct  the  press,  not  the  Author;  and  I  am  compel- 
led to  say,  that  the  numerous  mistakes  and  literal  errors  that  have  been 
allowed  to  pass  in  my  work,  hint  a  laxity  in  your  peculiar  duties,  which 
is  not  to  be  atoned  for  by  your  interference  with  matters  for  which  you 
are  not  responsible.  For  instance,  I  wrote  in  Scotch,  '  the  wale'  of  the 
country,  which  looked  so  'very  like  a  whale'  to  you,  that  you  turned  it 
into  weal.  Do  you  suppose  that  Auld  Rob  Morris,  '  Ih^wale  of  auld 
men,'  was  a  great  lubberly  Leviathan,  living  in  a  valley,  with  oxen  and 
sheep  of  his  own  ?" 

"  Very  good.  Sir,  very  good,"  said  the  Momus,  as  soon  as  he  could  ar- 
ticulate for  laughing.  "  But  authors  may  thank  their  own  crabbed 
scrawls  for  the  errors.  Your  own,  for  instance.  Higgs  kept  samples  of 
it,  and  has  bound  them  up  like  a  book  of  autographs  ;  and  certainly  the 
collection  presents  as  much  "Variety  as  if  all  writers  since  Cadmus  had 
lent  a  hand  to  it.  Sometimes  it  is  a  little  close  niggle,  as  if  you  studied 
economy  in  stationery;  at  other  times  we  receiv^'  bouncing  round  text, 
as  if  you  were  amanuensis  to  Gog  and  Magog.  To-day  the  lines  go  as 
straight  and  steadily  as  if  you  were  writing  a  prize  essay  for  the  Tem- 
perance Society;  to-morrow  they  go  reeling  up  and  down,  as  if  your  pen 
had  dipped  into  a  brandy  bottle  by  mistake  for  the  inkstand.  Occasion- 
ally, when  you  are  lazy,  you  favour  us  with  abbreviations,  and  we  have 
to  study  a  new  system  of  short-hand ;  and  now  and  then  you  teaze  us 
with  a  set  of  mere  hieroglyphics,  that  persuade  us  you  have  been  writing 
in  your  sleep.  In  short,  we  know  all  your  moods.  Sir, — when  you  are 
drowsy,  and  when  you  are  lazy,  when  you  are  half  drunk  or  whole 
drunk  ;  when  you  are  dissatisfied,  and  when  you  are  up  in  your  stirrups, 
and  don't  think  small  beer  of  yourself — that's  when  your  d's  and  g's  and 
y's  flourish  their  tails.  We  know  all  your  weathers,  sir,  and  keep  them 
regularly  recorded,  day  after  day,  like  a  meteorological  register." 

"The  deuce  you  do  !"  I  exclaimed.  "Then  Messrs.  Burnett  have 
no  more  of  my  printing,  that's  all," — but  as  I  started  up  to  ring  the  bell, 
in  order  that  the  intruding  gentlemen  might  be  shown  out,  I  found  my- 
self broad  awake,  and  alone,  in  my  sanctorum,  with  the  relic  of  port 
wine  still  unconsumed  before  me.  I  had  been  merely  dreaming  :  but  the 
perversity  of  the  two  visionary  Readers  haunted  me  long  afterward,  and 
even  at  this  moment  I  have  some  misgivings,  whether  the  following  pages 
may  not  be  fated  to  meet  with  some  real  Collises  and  Maurices  in  the 
world,  who  will  not  peruse, 

"in  tbc  mm  spirit  that  the  Author  writ.'' 


T\  LNEY    HALL. 


CHAPTER^  I.,     ^  o,.    . 

"  An  old  cfoak  makes  a  new  jerkin;  a  withered  serving  man  a  fresh  tapster." 

Mekry  Wives  of  Windsor. 

On  the  skirts  of  the  extensive  forest  of  H there  stood,  perhaps  still 

stands,  a  little  inn  or  house  of  entertainment,  which  by  its  sequestered 
situation,  seemed  destined  for  the  occupation  of  that  anomalous  character, 
a  publican  of  retired  habits.  Its  locality,  indeed,  promised  little  more 
custom  than  the  site  of  that  celebrated  tavern  on  Muckslush  Heath,  in 
Colman's  comedy.  On  one  side  the  eye  wandered  over  a  wide  barrea 
level,  clothed  and  variegated  only  by  grass  dwindled  into  moss,  and  trees 
stunted  into  shrubs.  This  bleak  waste  was  known  by  the  significant 
name  of  the  Flats.  On  the  other  side  stretched  an  immense  park,  behind 
an  angle  of  which  lay  perdue  a  small  village,  the  main  prop  and  stay  of 
Heady  and  Go's  entire,  as  retailed  from  the  tap  of  this  sequestered  Dia- 
mond of  the  Desert.  Over  a  side  door,  leading  to  a  diminutive  yard, 
appeared  a  notification  of  good  entertainment  for  man  and  horse,  with  a 
hint  of  a  neat  post  chaise,  whose  post  was  almost  a  sinecure;  for  though 
Jonas  kept  a  pair  of  horses  for  hire,  they  were  seldom  let  out,  except  to 
grass.  By  way  of  sign,  three  Chinese  pigs  with  long  ears  would  have 
puzzled  a  zoologist,  but  for  the  superscription  of  "the  Rabbits;"  while 
a  writing  underneath  informed  the  reader  that  there  was  an  ordinary 
every  day  at  one,  although  historically  such  a  circumstance  was  extra- 
ordinary; and  an  addendum  expressed,  that  this  establishment  was  kept 
by — for  it  did  not  keep — one  Jonas  Hanw^ay,  late  coachman  to  Sir  Theo- 
dore Bowles.  Honest  Jonas  had  lived  so  steadily  and  soberly  all  his  life, 
that  he  could  afford  to  take  up  the  trade  of  making  others  unsteady  and 
unsober;  however,  in  obedience  to  his  natural  bent,  he  took  the  most 
retired  public  house  he  could  find  ;  and  instead  of  "  a  fine  stroke  of  bu- 
siness in  a  desirable  low  hard-drinking  neighborhood,"  according  to  ad- 
vertisement, was  the  proprietor  of  the  snug  genteel  concern  of  the  Rab- 
bits, doing  no  butts  a  week.  The  title  of  the  house  was  derived  from 
the  neighboring  warrens,  and  might  have  induced  a  belief  that  it  num- 
bered a  few  poachers  among  its  customers  ;  but  the  house,  on  the  con- 
trary, was  a  well-ordered  one,  at  which  even  the  modern  Temperance 
Societies  might  have  held  their  anniversaries.  Its  chief  visiters,  indeed, 
were  a  set  of  village  tradesmen,  who  spent  their  one  sixpence  or  one 
shilling  per  night  with  a  punctual  regularity,  most  of  them  being  mem- 
bers of  a  threepenny  whist  club,  which  held  its  sittings  three  times  a 
week.  By  help  of  this,  and  a  very  little  chance  custom,  Jonas  contrived 
to  keep  in  good  credit  with  his  brewer  and  distiller,  and  to  carry  on  a  con- 
cern, which,  though  it  yearly  swallowed  up  his  small  annuity  in  the  funds, 
was  so  much  to  his  liking,  that  he  would  not  have  taken  a  hundred  pounds 
for  the  goodwill.  Bred  up  from  boyhood  in  a  sedate,  early-risin?,  church- 
going  family,  he  made  a  point  of  emptying  his  tap- room — when  it  was 
not  empty  of  its  own  accord— at  the  hour  of  eleven;  and  on  Sundays  he 
was  rigid  in  shutting  up  divinely ;  by  which  phrase   he   meant  that  he 


JO  TYLNEY   HALL. 

closed  his  doors  during  divine  service.  In  short,  he  drove  his  house  as 
discreetly,  as  soberly,  and  as  steadily,  as  he  had  done  the  old  family  ve- 
hicle with  Sir  Theodore  Bowles  and  the  gout  in  its  inside.  His  chief 
delight  was  in  reading  the  newspaper,  and  especially  the  parliamentary 
debates  ;  though,  till  the  hour  of  his  death,  his  parlour  guests  could 
never  decide  whether  he  was  Whig  or  Tory,  but  each  secretly  believed 
that  JoAas' inclined^ te  h^s^own  particular  side.  This  seeming  impartial- 
ity procured  h'lin  the  h^nburable  situation  of  umpire  to  the  whist  club, 
till,  having  given  contrary  opinions  on  every  point  of  the  game,  the 
plHye'-.^  at  la-^t  'preferred  to  refci' their  disputed  cases  to  the  summary  ar- 
"TDftrHiifm  "of  •'  Hends  or  taik,"  for  at  that  time  there  was  no  Despatch  or 
Bell's  Life  in  London,"  to"  inforYn  correspondents,  "  whether  if  A.  held 
the  ace  of  hearts,  B.  was  entitled  to  play  the  deuce  of  diamonds  to  C.'s 
nine  of  spades,  which  had  fallen  to  D's  ten  of  clubs, — A.  being  a  mar- 
ried man  and  the  rest  all  bachelors." 

So  much  for  Jonas.  Fortune  seemed  to  have  cast  his  lot  amiss  ;  as  the 
world  goes  he  made  but  a  sorry  sort  of  publican,  but  he  would  have 
made  an  excellent  parish  clerk.  Mrs.  Hanway,  on  the  contrary,  as  an 
Irishman  would  say,  seemed  born  a  landlady ;  and  the  very  worst  of  her 
faults,  when  tried  at  the  bar,  appeared  of  advantage  to  her  character. 
Technically  speaking,  her  temper  was  a  little  pricked,  but  its  tartness 
proved  of  essential  service  to  a  mistress  who  had  commonly  to  control  a 
termagent  cook  and  an  obstreperous  pot-boy.  Besides,  the  temper  of  her 
husband,  which  was  really  drawn  a  little  too  mild,  acted  admirably  as  a 
counterpose,  or,  as  he  used  to  express  it  himself,  they  made  excellent 
"half  and  half."  Her  other  failing,  for  she  Jiad  but  a  pair,  "  leaned  to 
virtue's  side,"  and  may  be  mentioned  without  ma-lice.  In  her  single  days 
she  had  lived  in  the  now  almost  obsolete  situation  of  still-room  woman 
to  Lady  Bowles,  from  whom  she  had  imbibed  a  benevolent  curiosity  into 
the  ailments  of  the  poor,  with  an  invincible  desire. to  exhibit,  as  the  fa- 
culty call  it,  her  drugs  and  simples.  In  her  zeal,  however,  to  administer 
to  all  the  "  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to,"  she  scarcely  paid  due  respect  to  the 
proverb  of  "  let  tt'c// alone,"  but  seemed  to  think,' with  .certain  politi- 
cians, that  constitutions  are  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  mended.  No  soup- 
committee  ever  distributed  their  decoctions  to  the  poor  with  more  liber- 
ality than  Mrs.  Hanway  :  her  still  was  literally  never  still,  but  day  and 
night  dripped  teas  and  tinctures  from  herbs  and  drugs,  whose  virtues 
were  estimated  in  exact  proportion  to  their  nauseousness.  Some  few  pa- 
tients she  had,  who  took  her  prescriptions  for  love,  and  the  impatients 
she  conciliated  by  a  presentation  glass  of  Geneva.  Many  were  the  hale 
invalids,  and  the  Temperance  Society  may  publish  the  fact  to  their  dis 
credit,  who  consented  to  take  her  doses  for  the  sake  of  her  drams.  Un- 
fortunately her  medical  practice,  though  it  brought  customers  to  the  bar, 
was  the  cause  of  banishing  one  or  two  who  could  be  ill  spared  from  the 
tap-room  and  parlour.  Even  thus,  for  instance,  was  the  Rabbits  depri- 
ved of  the  steady  Saturday  patronage  of  Master  Gregory  the  head  con- 
stable, through  a  few  drops  of  something  very  wholesome,  which  she  had 
volunteered  into  his  periodical  glass  of  grog.  The  zealous  functionary, 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  on  a  certain  night,  had,  by  great  vigilance, 
succeeded  in- catching  a  cold  instead  of  apprehending  a  sheep-stealer. 
and  an  awful  wheeziness  was  the  consequence ;  but  let  a  constable  be 
ever  so  wheezy,  he  may  reasonably  object  to  such  a  constable's  miscel- 
lany  as  rum  and  water  and  squills. 


TYLNEY   HALL.  H 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  Of  such  it  may  be  said,  that  they  do  not  play  at  cards,  but  only  play  at  playing  at  them." 

Mrs.  Battle's  Opinions  of  Whist. 

In  the  weather  column  of  Moore's  Almanac  for  the  year  of  our  Lord 
17 — ,  and  exactly  opposite  to  the  date  of  Fridaj'  the  19th  of  November,  a 
state  of  atmosphere  was  predicted  unusually  genial  and  serene.  Accord- 
ingly, on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  the  wind  began  to  blow  with  a  vio- 
lence unparalleled  for  half  a  century,  accompanied  by  occasional  showers 
of  hailstones,  of  a  magnitude  so  unexampled,  that  several  natural  phi- 
losophers took  the  pains  of  measuring  and  publishing  their  dimensions. 
As  the  gale  set  in  from  the  south-west,  the  Rabbits  had  the  full  benefit 
of  its  force,  the  air  not  being  at  all  composed  in  those  Flats  which  lay  in 
front  of  that  desolate  house  of  call.  On  the  evening  of  that  day,  the 
same  five  fi^ces  were  in  the  parlour  as  if  they  had  never  left  it  since  the 
preceding  club-night;  and  the  usual  members  of  the  lower  house  were 
vehemently  puffing  in  self-defence  against  a  chimney  which  asserted  the 
same  privilege  of  smoking  in  a  common  tap-room.  Mrs.  Hanway  was  in 
her  bar,  inwardly  lamenting  that  she  could  prescribe  no  home-made  sooth- 
ing syrup  for  nature  in  convulsions,  while  Jonas  wandered  from  room  to 
room,  listening  to  one  of  the  signs  of  the  times  taking  its  full  swing  of  the 
tempest,  till  the  embfematical  rabbits  seemed  to  squeak  as  shrilly  as  pigs 
in  a  high  wind.  Exactly  as  the  clock  struck  eight,  Mr.  Tablet,  the  pres- 
ident of  the  whist-club,  proposed  to  make  a  rubber  :  he  was  a  gray-headed, 
weather-beaten  man,  with  short  legs  and  a  tall  body,  which,  in  speaking, 
he  swayed  backwards  and  forwards  with  a  mechanical  motion,  which 
hinted  that  though  now  a  master  mason,  he  had  formerly  sat  in  a  sentry- 
box  and  played  at  see-saw  with  a  block  of  marble.  Catching  up  the  sol- 
itary pack  of  cards,  and  giving  them  a  clumsy  shuffle,  and  looking  round 
the  room,  he  addressed  the  members  of  his  board  of  green  cloth  with — 

"  Gentlemen,  is  any  of  you  agreeable  ?" 

"  For  my  parts,  as  nobody  else  speaks,"  said  a  fat  man  with  a  thin 
voice,  "  I've  no  objection  in  life  to  take  a  hand,  provided  I'm  wanted  to 
make  a  fourth." 

"  That's  two,  then,"  saiJ  Tablet,  "  for  in  course,  as  president,  I  sets 
the  first  rubber  a-going.     How  say  you,  Mr.  Hands  ?'•' 

"  Why  you  know,"  said  Mr.  Hands,  "  I  seldom  or  never  play,  as  ever 
since  my  fit  I've  impaired  my  memory,  and  am  apt  to  revoke." 

Mr.  Benson  and  Mr.  "VValden  were  severally  appealed  to,  as  the  forlorn 
hope  of  the  rubber,  when  Mr.  Benson  "  was  perfectly  agreeable  to  any- 
thing, and  to  any  pints  they  liked,"  as  was  also  Mr.  Walden,  the  last  man 
of  the  pack — but  on  the  impracticable  condition,  that  they  should  be  ex- 
cused cutting  in  till  after  the  first  two  rubbers  or  so  had  been  played  out. 

"Such  being  the  case,"  said  the  president,  "  I  have  nothing  left  for  me 
to  say,  except  hie  jacet ;"  and  with  these  professional  words,  he  deposited 
the  pack  like  a  miniature  monument  on  the  green  baize.  After  the  fore- 
going ceremony,  which,  by  the  way,  occurred  with  little  variation  of  re- 
quest or  apolosy  three  times  per  week,  this  ghost  of  a  whist-club  subsided 
into  a  mere  Wordsworth ian  "  party  in  a  parlour;"  till  at  length  a  mem- 
ber volunteered  a  song,  if  such  a  phrase  may  be  applied  to  a  song  which 
had  served  in  the  line  for  several  years  past.  Those  who  have  seen  a 
small  thread  of  table  beer,  with  a  natural  .shake  of  its  own,  issuing  out 
of  a  nine-gallon  cask,  may  form  an  ideii  of  the  slender  warble  that  trans- 


12  TTtNET   HALL. 

pired  from  the  fat  man  with  a  thin  voice,  in  honour  of  the  "  Maid  of  the 
Walley.''  Strange  to  say,  weak  as  it  was,  it  was  vehemently  encored,  as 
if  the  auditors  acted  on  the  principle  of  the  good  man  in  the  Scottish  song, 

"  Syne  if  her  typenny  chance  to  be  sma'. 
We'll  tak  a  gooij  scour  o't  and  cu't  it  awa." 

But  the  dwellers  in  cities  accustomed  to  Magazins  de  Nouveautes,  and 
Theatres  de  Varietes,  have  little  conception  o^.  the  monotonous  routine 
in  which  provincial  regulars  and  orderlies  find,  not  merely  content,  but 
enjoyment. 

The  da  capo  had  just  reached  the  second  line  of  the  second  verse,  when 
the  air  without,  proving  stronger  than  the  air  within,  hurst  open  the  di- 
lapidated casement,  and  a  gust  of  wind  came  in,  which  blew  out  the 
singer's  voice  like  a  rush-light.  Immediately,  by  favour  of  the  opening, 
they  distinguished  a  voice  calling  lustily  for  help;  in  a  few  seconds  a 
summons  was  repeated  at  the  front  door,  which  was  speedily  opened,  and 
a  stranger  entered  who  seemed  to  be  on  such  bad  terms  with  the  lights, 
that  they  all  went  out  as  he  came  in,  and  it  was  not  till  he  had  made  his 
way  to  the  fire  in  the  tap-room,  that  his  features  could  be  recognized. 

"  As  I  live  by  bread,"  ejaculated  the  landlord,  "  it's  unlucky  Joe." 

Joseph  Spiller,  the  unfortunate  postillion  thus  referred  to,  was  a  living 
example  of  that  cross-grained  fate  which  attends  upon  certain  devoted 
individuals  through  life.  Born  under  an  evil  star,  probably  a  falling  one, 
he  had  been  oftener  thrown  from  the  saddle,  or  pitched  from  the  bar, 
than  any  postboy  of  his  standing,  or  rather  sitting.  He  was  literally  a 
marked  man  in  a  stricter  sense  than  the  term  generally  implies,  for  the 
bridge  of  his  nose  was  broken,  he  had  lost  one  eye.  with  the  whole  of  his 
front  teeth,  and  had  a  limp  in  his  left  leg — personal  deodands  levied 
against  him  from  mishaps  purely  accidental.  He  had  been  a  careful  dri- 
ver, and  a  sober,  but  sometimes  the  commissioners  of  roads  left  stumb- 
ling-blocks in  his  path,  sometimes  he  was  the  victim  of  inexperienced  or 
inebriated  charioteers  who  drove  against  him;  and  above  all  he  had  the 
luck  of  being  associated  with  more  stumblers,  kickers,  shyers,  and  other 
four-legged  vices,  than  any  boy  of  his  school.  He  had  had  as  many 
horses  killed  under  him  as  Prince  Eugene,  and  more  runaways  than  the 
driver  of  the  last  stage  to  Gretnargreen.  Rendered  superstitious  at  last 
by  such  a  succession  of  mishaps,  poor  Joe  had  become  something  of  a 
fatalist;  he  gave  up  inspecting  the  harness,  or  looking  at  the  linchpins, 
and  was  never  particularly  ready  to  pull  up  his  horse's  head  in  case  of  a 
stumble.  "  It  was  all  one,"  he  said,  "  as  to  how  a  horse  was  held  in 
hand  if  he  was  rid  by  a  hunfortunate  fellow  that  was  horned  on  a  Fri- 
day," Want  of  care  thus  coalescing  with  want  of  luck,  an  increaseci 
number  of  casualties  obtained  for  Joe  the  unenviable  name  of  "  unlucky," 
by  which  Hanway  described  him. 

"  In  the  name  of  mercy, — Joe,"  said  the  host,  taking  an  upset  for 
granted,  "  in  the  name  of  mercy,  Joe,  who's  hurt  ?" 

"  He's  as  dead  as  a  stubnail  by  this  time,"  whimpered  Joe. 

"  Heaven  forbid,"  said  the  landlord  ;  "  but  there's  no  time  to  be  lost." 

"  Such  being  the  case  we  must  have  a  shutter — there's  one  blown  off 
the  hinges  in  the  club-room,"  suggested  the  president  of  the  packmen. 

"  Lord  love  you,"  said  Joe,  "  he  don't  want  no  shutter — the  knacker's 
drag  is  all  he  requires  now,  poor  thing." 

"  Thank  goodness,  it's  a  horse,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway,  "  and  not  a 
human  being." 

"  To  be  sure  it  is,"  answered  Joe,  "  but  that's  like  my  luck ;  never  a 
one  else  but  me  would  have  had  a  job  across  the  Flats,  and  on  such  a 
night ;  some  can't  go  wrong  if  they  would,  and  with  broad  day-light  to 
help  '«m ;  but  for  my  part  I  can  go  off  the  road  in  the  dark." 


TYLNEY    HALL.  13 

"  But  the  horse  ?"  inquired  Jonas. 

"  Choked  with  his  collar  long  afore  I  could  hextricate  t'other,  and  with 
nobody  inside  by  way  of  helps,  only  a  very  young  youth  and  an  old  one, 
and  him  a  scraping  his  shoes  at  death's  door,  and  as  yellow  as  my  silk 
jacket ;  but  that's  my  luck." 

"  Well,  there's  a  Providence,  even  in  posting,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Han- 
way,  casting  a  side  glance  at  her  jalaps  and  cordials.  "Poor  gentle- 
man, a  liver  complaint,  no  doubt;  but  a  strong  cup  of  camomile  tea  of 
a  morning — " 

"  A  stiff  glass  of  summut  overnight  is  more  like  to  do  him  good,"  an- 
swered Joe,  with  a  mechanical  movement  towards  the  bar. 

"  And  the  poor  dear  child  ?"  inquired  the  considerate  Mrs.  Han  way, 
filling  out  a  glass  of  pennyroyal,  which  the  postilion  bolted  without  hes- 
itation. 

"  I  thought,"  said  he,  making  a  face,  "  that  it  was  a  go  of  thunder  and 
lightning  ;   but  that's  my  luck." 

At  this  juncture  honest  Jonas  returned  from  the  stable-yard,  and  in- 
quired as  to  the  locality  of  the  travellers,  who,  in  the  meantime,  by  vir- 
tue of  a  temporary  residence,  were  enjoying  the  right  of  common. 

"  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  more  or  less,"  answered  Joe  ;  "  but 
there's  no  needs  of  hurry — I'll  warrant  the  horse  they've  got  with  'em 
for  a  quiet  un,  cause  why,  he's  dead,  and  the  windows  is  all  up  and  only 
one  broke — they  can't  be  more  comfortable  considering,  whether  I  takes 
a  little  drop  of  summut  or  not;"  so  saying,  the  postillion,  like  a  new 
member  of  Parliament,  took  his  place  with  an  oath,  and  couldn't  be  per- 
suaded to  vacate  his  seat  till  he  had  accepted  something  equivalent  to  the 
Chiltern  Hundreds.  His  appetite  and  thirst  satisfied,  he  set  forth,  ac- 
companied by  boots,  ostler,  and  pot'boy,  though  in  all  but  a  pair,  for  the 
last  three  offices  were  monopolized  by  one  individual ;  they  took  witli 
them  a  spare  horse,  and  a  bottle  of  something  against  the  night  air,  frort 
Mrs.  Hanway,  for  the  especial  use  of  the  invalid,  and  which,  be  it  said, 
went  undiminished  by  a  single  drop  to  its  destination. 

By  this  time  the  wind  had  become  somewhat  "  blown  and  scant  of 
breath,"  only  "  roaring  as  gently  as  a  sucking  dove  ;"  but  although  time's 
whole  eleven  upon  the  clock  had  been  bowled  out,  each  several  member 
of  the  whist  club  seemed  inclined  to  act  as  a  long  stop;  a  departure  frora 
their  established  rule  which  could  only  be  justified  by  the  expectation  of 
post-chaise  travellers  at  the  Rabbits.  They  were  longer  than  ever  the^ 
were  before  in  discussing  their  second  tumblers,  and  several,  encouragec 
by  the  example  of  the  president  himself,  went  even  so  far  as  to  call  for  a 
glass  beyond  their  ordinary  stint ;  the  third  tumbler  despatched,  they 
were  slower  than  ever  had  been  known  in  the  appropriation  of  their  pe- 
culiar greatcoats  and  hats,  and  far  more  careful  than  common  in  the  ad 
justment  of  capes,  collars,  and  silk-handkerchiefs.  Armed  at  last  at  all 
j)oints  against  weather,  they  were  even  then  a  thousand  times  more  par- 
ticular than  they  had  ever  been  in  their  inquiries  as  to  the  state  of  the 
nisjht;  and  sundry  deputations  made  a  brief  excursion  into  the  open  air 
for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  verifying  the  meteorological  reports  which 
they  had  received.  In  short  they  temporized  as  adroitly  as  diplomatists 
of  a  higher  grade,  for  the  attainment  of  an  unavowed  object.  Fortune, 
however,  which  had  denied  them  a  game  at  Ions;  whist,  afforded  them, 
by  way  of  amends,  a  protracted  game  of  patience ;  for  whether  Joe  had 
understated  the  distance,  or  had  met  with  unforeseen  obstacles,  it  was  a 
full  hour  before  his  wheels  rattled  up  to  Jonas's  Rabbit  Hutch.  In  the 
mean  time  Mrs.  Hanway  had  made  the  most  precautionary  preparation.s 
for  the  reception  of  guests  who  she  understood  had  come  from  a  hot  cli 
mate  into  a  cold  one.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  young  gentleman 
8* 


14  TYLNEY    HALL. 

alighted,  he  was  caught  up  in  a  warm  blanket  and  carried  kicking  up 
stairs  by  the  sturdy  Jonas  ;  the  next  comer,  before  he  left  the  steps  of 
the  chaise,  had  a  conservative  handkerchief  clapped  up  to  his  face  by  the 
considerate  Mrs.  Hanway ;  and  as  she  thought  proper  to  get  him  out  of 
the  damp  air  of  the  passage  as  quickly  as  possible,  the  gazers  who  lined 
the  door  of  the  club-room  in  expectation  of  seeing  the  stranger,  caught 
only  a  momentary  glimpse  of  a  travelling  cap,  a  bandana,  and  a  blue 
cloak' — followed  by  a  treacle  posset  and  a  warming  pan. 

"  Well,"  said  the  manufacturer  of  tombstones,  as  the  effigy  glided  up 
stairs,  "  that's  what  I  call  '  sic  transit ;' ''  and  with  this  remark  he  caught 
up  his  hat  and  sallied  forth  homewards  with  his  neighbors  of  the  village. 


CHAPTER  III. 


You  cannot  hunt  to-day,  to-day, 
You  cannot  hunt  to-day  I— 
But  a  huntmg  we  will  go !" 

Thomas  Roundino 


In  the  list  of  hunting  appointments,  as  given  iathe  County  Chronicle, 

the  meeting  of  the  H Hounds  for  Saturday,  the  20th  of  November, 

I  was  advertised  to  take  place  at  Windmill  Grange,  a  fixture  which  brought 
the  pack  into  the  vicinity  of  Hanway's  public  house.  The  morning  was 
beautiful  for  hunting,  that  is  to  say,  what  some  people  would  have  called 
rather  muggy,  with  very  little  wind  from  the  south,  and  a  cloudy  sky. 
Owing  to  this  auspicious  weather,  the  field  was  more  numerous  than 
usual,  and  the  sportsmen  welcomed  with  peculiar  pleasure  the  first  ap- 
pearance for  the  season  of  their  old  friend  and  leader  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel 
of  Tylney  Hall,  the  master  of  the  hunt.  During  the  last  two  months  a 
martyr  to  the  gout,  though  he  would  rather  have  been  one  of  Fox's  Mar- 
tyrs, he  had  never  mounted  a  horse.  The  woful  case  of  Witherington 
in  Chevy  Chase  was  light  compared  with  the  Baronet's,  who  had  thus 
four  legs  taken  from  under  him,  for,  in  reality,  he  was  a  modern  Cen- 
taur. He  did  not,  however,  make  as  manful  a  flight  as  the  bold  Esquire 
in  the  ballad — like  the  ancient  knights,  he  felt  quite  helpless  when  un 
horsed,  and,  after  a  feeble  struggle,  surrendered  himself  quietly  into  the 
hands  of  Dr.  Bellamy,  the  family  physician.  The  Doctor,  a  formalist  oi 
the  old  school,  was,  like  OUapod,  a  great  advocate  for  spring  physic,  and 
having  vainly  tried  for  some  years  past  to  persuade  Sir  Mark  to  gtf 
through  a  course  of  May  medicine,  seized  with  avidity  on  an  opportunity' 
for  making  him  swallow  the  whole  arrears  in  November.  Accordingly, 
he  drenched  his  patient  so  vigorously,  that  the  latter  began  sometimes  to 
doubt  whether  he  had  not  better  have  called  in  the  professional  assistance 
of  Master  Burton,  a  practitioner  whose  prescriptions  were  administered 
by  help  of  a  pitchfork  and  a  cow's  horn.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  far 
he  might  have  been  eventually  reduced,  if  he  had  not  washed  down 
every  lowering  draught  with  a  large  bumper  of  Madeira,  in  furtherance 
of  which,  his  housekeeper,  who  was  no  friend  to  Sangrado,  caused  his 
gruel  to  become  caudle,  and  his  broth  to  be  as  like  soup  as  possible  : — the 
best  way,  she  said,  to  keep  the  gout  from  flying  to  his  stomach,  was  by 
filling  it  with  something  else.  By  a  similar  freedom  his  barley-water 
was  rendered  into  Burton  ale,  and  his  composing  draught  into  a  bishop 
At  last,  on  a  Saturday  morning,  when  the  doctor  called  with  the  design 
of  allowing  a  little  air  and  gentle  exercise  in  a  garden  chair,  he  was  in 
formed  that  his  patient  had  sulfered  a  r<>lapse  into  health,  and  had  gona 
oflf  suddenly  on  Bedlamite,  to  meet  the  hounds  at  Windmill  Grange. 


TYLNET   HALL. 

The  appearance  of  the  Baronet  at  the  rendezvous  in  buckskins  at 
scarlet,  and  mounted  on  his  famous  gray  horse,  was  hailed  with  more 
than  one  involuntary  view  halloo,  notwithstanding  such  a  sound  was  ir 
the  highest  degree  unseasonable,  considering  the  time  and  place.  The 
hounds  had  been  already  thrown  into  cover,  and  were  drawing  with  ad- 
mirable steadiness,  and  the  silence  of  death,  when  the  ill-timed  welcome 
drew  them  all  off,  huntsmen,  whippers-in,  and  company,  to  the  sound, — • 
to  the  infinite  chagrin  of  all  parties,  brute  or  human  ;  however,  the  pack 
was  speedily  at  work  again  in  the  underwood,  amongst  which  fifty  vigor- 
ous tails  were  busily  ranging,  when  another  and  still  more  unsportsman- 
like shouting  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  wood,  drew  the  whole  cavalry 
like  a  trumpet-call  in  that  direction.  In  a  moment  the  horsemen  gained 
the  spot  from  which  the  sound  proceeded,  and  discovered  a  postboy  on  a 
tall,  rawboned,  piebald  mare,  who  was  floundering  and  struggling  her 
way  through  a  patch  of  gorse.  The  rider,  who  had  never  ceased  his 
outcry,  was  immediately  encircled  by  a  score  of  horsemen,  all  opening 
upon  him  with  the  same  question,  of  where  he  had  seen  the  fox. 

"  An't  please  your  honours,"  said  the  postboy,  with  a  respectful  touch 
of  his  hat,  "  it's  any  thing  but  varmint  I  have  in  my  head  at  this  pres- 
ent  "  words  which  were  barely  pronounced  when  the  astonished  ut- 

terer  found  himself  in  the  middle  of  a  storm  of  whip-thongs,  that  assailed 
him  like  a  foul  wind  from  all  quarters  at  once.  Luckily  for  unlucky  Joe, 
for  it  was  no  other  than  that  butt  of  misfortune,  he  was  mounted  on  a 
mare  which  had  the  vice  of  kicking  in  no  ordinary  degree,  and,  as  some 
of  the  cuts  designed  for  the  rider  fell  upon  the  beast's  crupper,  she  re- 
sented them  in  kind,  by  wheeling  round  and  lashing  out  so  vigorous!}', 
as  greatly  to  enlarge  the  circle  of  her  acquaintance.  Favoured  by  this 
respite,  Joe  made  shif\  to  explain  that  he  was  charged  with  what  he 
called  a  life  and  death  letter  to  Sir  Mark,  at  the  same  time  holding  up 
the  missive  as  conspicuously  as  he  could,  and  making  a  movement  with 
his  horse  towards  that  personage,  who  stood  a  little  aloof.  The  Baronet, 
however,  who  had  heard  the  life  and  death  character  of  the  note,  con- 
ceived at  once  that  the  messenger  had  come  post  from  Dr.  Bellamy,  with 
a  professional  remonstrance  against  over-exertion  and  fatigue,  and  a  spe- 
cial prescription  of  home,  abstinence,  and  fleecy  hosiery.  Affecting, 
therefore,  to  be  unconscious  of  his  claim  to  the  epistle,  he  set  oft"  in  a 
walk  towards  the  copse,  with  a  well-feigned  intentness  on  the  movements 
of  Jowler  and  Grasper,  who  were  visible  at  the  skirt  of  the  cover. 
Hearing,  however,  the  clatter  of  the  post-horse  behind  him,  he  put  Bed- 
lamite into  a  trot,  Joe  at  the  same  moment  pricking  his  mare  into  a  gal- 
lop; whereupon  the  wily  fox-hunter,  as  if  meaning  merely  to  sive  the 
mettle  of  his  steed  a  fillip,  clapped  spurs  to  his  sides,  and  placed  what  lie 
thought  an  impracticable  hedge  between  himself  and  his  pursuer.  The 
postboy,  however,  was  not  to  be  denied,  for  a  guinea  had  been  paid  him 
beforehand  for  the  service,  and  "money,"  says  the  proverb,  "makes  the 
mare  to  go ;"  but  doubly  urged  by  gold  and  steel,  she  could  not,  any  more 
than  Joe,  refuse  the  fence  :  they  charged  it  together,  gallantly,  and  the 
result  was  what  the  post-office  would  call  "  a  general  delivery"  of  him- 
self, mare,  letter,  and  all,  at  the  feet  of  Bedlamite.  The  sportsmanlike 
spirit  of  Sir  Mark  was  not  proof  against  tlie  thorough-going  character  of 
this  feat.  He  immediately  dismounted,  picked  up  the  letter,  and  broke 
the  cover — the  fox  the  next  minute  doing  the  same  thins:.  A  halloo,  a 
1  urst  of  canine  music,  and  a  crash  of  timber  instantly  followed,  but,  in- 
stead of  riding  at  the  head  of  the  field,  the  master  of  the  hunt,  to  the 
utter  surprise  of  the  whole  company,  was  seen  going  his  best  pace  in  the 
opposite  direction.  "By  goles,  Sir  Mark  is  makinar  a  queer  cast  of  his 
own,"  exclaimed  a  farmer,  the  only  pedestrian  on  the  ground;  "it  were 


16  TYLNEY   HALL. 

« 

no  runaway,  for  I  seed  un  .spur.  I  say,  fellow,"  he  continued,  addres- 
sing Joe,  who  was  busily  groping  about  in  a  little  hunt  of  his  own 
amongst  the  furze — "  there  must  ha'  been  a  terrible  strong  drag  t'other 
way,  to  draw  a  master  of  hounds  off  from  his  fox  when  he  were  just 
found." 

"  You  don't  see  nothing  hereabouts  as  didn't  grow  here,  do  you  ?" 
inquired  Joe,  by  way  of  answer  to  the  farmer. 

"  What  may  it  be  like,  mun  ?"  inquired  the  agriculturist  in  his  turn. 

"  It  was  as  like  a  goold  guinea  as  ever  you  see  in  life,"  answered  Joe, 
*'  afore  it  flew  out  of  my  jacket  pocket ;  it's  gone  like  conjuring !  I  wish 
I  had  never  been  paid  aforehand,  but  that's  my  luck." 

With  this  doleful  reflection  on  fortune,  her  unhappy  victim,  bruised  in 
body  and  spirit,  took  the  bridle  of  the  piebald  mare,  who,  with  streaming 
knees,  limped  after  him  at  a  snail's  pace,  to  elucidate  the  meaning  of 
"jump-short"*  to  her  proprietor.  Master  Jonas  Hanway. 

In  the  m^an  time,  Sir  Mark,  with  the  recklessness  of  a  neck-or-nothing 
rider  at  a  steeple-chase,  galloped  as  the  crow  flies  across  the  Flats;  and 
clearing  evei'y  thing  in  his  way,  flung  himself  off  Bedlamite  at  the  door 
of  the  Rabbits.  The  considerate  Mrs,  Hanway,  with  the  overflowing 
carefulness  which  belonged  to  her  character,  had  tied  a  muffler  of  leather 
over  the  knocker  of  a  door  which  professionally  stood  ever  open  ;  and 
Pots,  under  the  same  direction,  had  scattered  two  trusses  of  straw  over  a 
road  where  wheels  were  almost  as  great  a  rarity  as  they  are  now-a-days 
in  state  lotteries.  The  Dutch  clock  in  the  tap-room  no  longer  struck  the 
hour,  and  the  parlor  bell  rang  only  with  the  benumbed  sound  of  a  wine- 
glass when  it  is  filled  with  liquid.  The  sign  which  had  been  so  given  to 
^olian  discord  was  taken  down,  and  Jonas  himself,  at  the  desire  of  his 
spouse,  had  discarded  his  iron-shod  high-lows,  and  minced  awkwardly 
about  in  a  pair  of  list  slippers.  As  for  Mrs.  Hanway  herself,  she  was 
quite  in  her  element,  invested  with  all  the  importance  and  mystery  of  an 
attendant  on  a  sick  chamber.  Her  face  wore  an  unusual  expression  of 
grave  anxiety,  varied,  however,  occasionally,  by  a  slight  crumpling  up 
of  her  features,  which  died  again  with  the  flavour  of  the  various  medi- 
cines, which  she  amused  herself  by  sipping  and  tasting,  preparatory  to 
inflicting  them  on  her  patient.  Strange  to  say,  the  tenderest  of  nurses 
seem  to  derive  some  peculiar  gratification  from  the  administration  of 
physic.  With  wonderful  gusto  they  shake  up  the  nauseous  sediment  full 
before  the  eyes  of  the  loathing  expectant.  With  a  very  unnecessary 
noise  and  splash  they  pour  the  gurgling  abomination,  close  under  the  ol 
factories,  into  the  wine-glass  or  tea-cup,  as  if  jalap,  like  porter^  would 
be  more  acceptable  with  a  fine  head,  and  then  gaze  on  the  writhing  fea- 
tures and  rising  gorge  with  a  complacency  perfectly  unaccountable,  ex- 
cept on  that  principle  of  Lucretius,  that  it  is  pleasant  to  stand  by  and 
look  on  an  infliction  which  does  not  reach  ourselves. 

Mrs.  Hanway,  at  the  expense  of  her  invalid,  had  revelled  for  some  time 
in  this  nursing  propensity,  till  human  patience,  revolting  at  last,  refused 
peremptorily  to  honor  her  draughts ;  and  in  consequence  she  was  com- 
pelled to  find  vent  for  her  ruling  passion  amongst  knockers,  bells,  and  thick 
shoes,  as  already  described.  Above  all  she  watched  for  a  noise  as  diligent- 
ly as  a  cat  for  a  mouse,  and  whenever  the  most  insignificant  sound  dared  to 
be  heard,  she  pounced  upon  it  with  her  finger  on  her  lips,  and  strangled  it 
in  its  birth.    Accordingly,  the  moment  Sir  Mark  alighted  at  the  door,  she 

*  As  some  provincial  dramatist  may  hereafter  use  this  term,  to  the  great  perplexity  of 
commentators  it  may  be  as  well  to  say  tliat  the  autlior  once  heard  the  commodity  inquired 
for  in  the  shop  of  a  butcher  at  Upwell,  in  Norfolk,  a  vicinity  abounding  in  fens,  intersected 
by  broad  diuhes  or  drains,  occasionally  fatal  to  the  sheep  who  attempt  to  spring  over  them. 
The  drowned  mutton,  under  the  name  of  "jump-short,"  at  a  reduced  price,  was  in  request 
cunongst  the  poor. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  17 

put  his  very  first  question  asleep  with  an  emphatic  "  hush  !"  and  then  lay- 
ing her  lips  to  his  ear,  favoured  him  with  an  inaudible  answer.  Awed  by 
this  beginning,  the  Baronet  suffered  himself,  like  one  of  the  deaf  and 
dumb,  to  be  telegraphed  up  stairs  into  what  is  called  the  best  bedroom, 
and  coming  suddenly  out  of  the  broad  light  of  day  into  a  gloom  mitigated 
only  by  the  slender  ray  which  crept  through  the  mere  cracks  of  the  shut- 
ters, the  firelight  even  being  studiously  screened  off,  he  felt  for  some  be- 
wildered moments  as  if  blindness  was  added  to  his  other  bereavements. 
At  last  a  voice  which  he  could  scarcely  hear  called  him  by  name  to  the 
bedside,  where  a  form  he  could  barely  see  clutched  him  feebly  round  the 
neck,  and  for  some  time  held  him  in  a  silent  and  tremulous  embrace. 
The  voice  again  made  an  attempt  to  speak,  when  suddenly  the  hands  un- 
clasped, and  the  body  fell  back  with  a  death-like  helplessness  on  the  pillow. 

"He's  dead,  woman — he's  dying  !"  shouted  the  agitated  Baronet; — 
"  let  me  see  the  last  of  my  brother  !"  and  tearing  down  a  curtain  with 
each  hand  as  he  spoke,  he  endeavored  with  fixed  eyes  to  pierce  the  thick 
gloom  which  hung  before  him. 

In  obedience  to  the  command,  Mrs.  Hanway  opened  one  solitary'  leaf 
of  the  shutters,  but  which  by  chance  allowed  a  partial  stream  of  light  to 
fall  upon  the  bed,  and  disclosed  a  sight  that  rendered  the  gazer  almost  as 
insensible  as  the  being  before  him.  The  letter  he  had  received,  the  few 
words  of  the  invalid  himself,  had  led  Sir  Mark  to  believe  that  he  was 
about  to  see  a  brother;  but  when  he  was  able  to  distinguish  the  face  of 
the  sufferer,  he  beheld  with  unspeakable  horror  the  countenance  of  his 
father,  at  whose  death-bed  he  had  stood  and  wept  some  ten  years  before. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  This  very  doctor  frankly  owns  that  l\e  does  not  cure  the  distempers  which  are  already 
formed,  but  only  prevents  their  formation  ;  and  the  medicine  he  prescribes  is  fasting  upon 
fasting, until  the  patient  is  clean  skin  and  bones,  as  if  a  consumption  was  not  worse  than 
a  fever." 

Sancho  Panza. 

To  account  for  the  awful  phenomenon  recorded  in  the  last  chapter,  it 
may  suffice  to  refer  those  who  have  often  looked  on  their  kindred  after 
death  to  their  own  experience.  Such  persons,  in  gazing  on  the  riirid  marble 
features  of  the  departed,  must  have  been  sometimes  struck  by  a  startling 
likeness  uf  the  corpse  to  some  branch  of  consanguinity,  more  or  less  re- 
mote ;  thus  proving,  by  a  resemblance  never  recognizable  during  life,  the 
fidelity  of  the  I'amily  mould.  Attenuated,  perhaps,  by  disease,  and  further 
sharpened  by  the  contractions  of  the  flesh  and  muscles  after  death,  the 
features  assume  an  expression  sometimes  entirely  different  from  that  of  the 
same  countenance  when  living,  and  the  spectator  becomes  unexpectedly 
aware  that  former  dissimilarities  in  physiognomy  arose  merely  from  the 
variances  of  flesh  and  fibre.  The  mortal  change  moreover  sometimes  re- 
duces the  disparities  of  age,  making  the  old  apparently  younger,  and  the 
young  older — so  that  the  father  and  son,  mother  and  daughter,  appear  in 
each  other's  likeness  with  an  identity  perfectly  astounding  to  the  beholder. 

The  Baronet,  therefore,  only  saw  a  countenance  on  which  care,  an  un- 
wholesome climate,  and  premature  old  age,  had  anticipated  the  hand  of 
death,  and  worked  out  the  resemblance  which  had  given  such  a  shock  to 
his  feelings.  To  add  to  the  ghastliness  of  the  marble  face  of  the  invalid, 
each  closed  eye  was  encircled  by  a  deep  tinge  of  livid  blue,  the  effects  of  a 
disproportionate  dose  of  laudanum,  which  the  officious  but  well-meaning 
Mrs.  Hanway  had  introduced  over  night  in  his  gruel.  To  the  infinite 
relief  of  Sir  Mark,  the  sufferer,  who  had  merely  fainted  from  over-exertioa 


18  '  TYLNEY    HALL. 

and  agitation,  shortly  unclosed  his  eyes,  and  with  returning  animation 
the  likeness  to  his  parent  in  some  degree  faded  away.  To  describe  what 
followed,  would  require  a  more  graphic  implement  than  the  pen,  for 
much  of  the  first  communion  between  the  brothers  consisted  in  embraces 
and  mute  tokens  of  recognition — neither  having  command  enough  of 
voice  to  discourse.     The*  invalid  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  I  have  brought  home  my  bones  at  last,"  he  murmured, "  though  only 
to  lay  them  in  the  family  vault." 

"  God  forbid,  Herbert,"  replied  the  worthy  Baronet,  grasping  some- 
what too  heartily  the  emaciated  hand  that  was  held  out  to  him.  "  But 
keep  up  your  heart,  and  you'll  give  the  old  enemy  a  few  winds  and 
doubles  afore  then.  Many  a  man's  been  as  low  in  the  flesh,  and  yet 
been  got  into  condition  by  help  of  good  keep  and  his  native  air.  We'll 
have  you  on  your  legs  again  by  next  grass." 

"  It  will  wave  over  me,  Mark,"  returned  the  other,  with  a  faint  shakt: 
of  the  head ;  "  and  as  for  my  native  air,  it  has  shortened  the  few  days  I 
had  to  live  by  its  keenness  and  violence  last  night.  Lungs  that  have 
panted  and  decayed  near  the  tropics,  will  be  ill  able  to  encounter  the 
cutting  blasts  of  an  English  winter." 

"  We'll  have  Dr.  Bellamy  to  'em,"  rejoined  the  over-sanguine  Bar- 
onet. "Whatever  he  may  be  at  gout,  I'll  back  him  for  a  known  good 
hand  at  a  thickness  o'  the  wind.  I  remember  being  a  bit  of  a  high 
blower  myself,  and  as  they  said,  by  riding  through  Willow  Brook,  in- 
stead of  going  round  by  the  bridge — " 

"  If  the  gentleman's  lungs  is  touch'd,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Hanway, 
"  there's  nothing  worse  than  talking  and  letting  the  air  into  'em.  It's 
what  Dr.  Bellamy's  most  strict  in  ;  and  when  his  patient  is  so  unpru- 
dent  as  to  ask  what's  the  matter  with  'em,  and  what  the  medicine's 
meant  to  do — and  if  he's  met  with  the  like  case  afore,  and  such  like,  he 
never  answers  a  single  question.  But  thank  goodness,  here  comes  Dr. 
Bellamy  to  prescribe  for  himself." 

In  fact,  a  very  unnecessary  and  prolonged  double  knock  at  the  door, 
which  to  a  hypochondriac  might  have  suggested  a  funeral  roll  of  a  muffled 
drum,  here  announced  the  physician,  whose  foot,  by  no  means  shod  with 
felt,  was  soon  heard  ascending  the  stairs,  while  a  pompous  voice,  in  a  tone 
far  above  a  whisper,  maintained  a  running  conversation  with  some  one 
at  the  stairfoot.  We  will  venture  a  description  of  the  disciple  of  Galen. 
At  first  sight  you  were  in  doubt  whether  to  set  him  down  as  a  doctor  or  a 
pedagogue,  for  his  dress  presented  one  very  characteristic  appendage  of 
the  latter  ;  namely,  a  square-cut  black  coat,  Avhich  was  not,  never 
would  be,  and  probably  never  had  been,  in  the  fashion.  A  profusion  of 
cambric  frill,  huge  silver  shoe-buckles,  a  snuff-box  of  the  same  metal, 
and  a  gold-headed  cane,  belonging  rather  to  the  costume  of  a  physician 
of  the  period.  He  wore  a  very  precise  wig  of  a  very  decided  brown,  reg- 
ularly crisped  at  the  top  like  a  bunch  of  endive,  and  in  front  following 
the  exact  curves  of  the  arches  of  two  bushy  eyebrows.  He  had  dark 
eyes,  a  prominent  nose,  and  a  wide  mouth,  the  corners  of  which,  in  smi- 
ling, were  drawn  downward  towards  his  double  chin.  A  florid  colour  on 
his  face  hinted  a  plethoric  habit,  while  a  portly  body,  and  a  very  short  thick 
neck,  bespoke  an  apoplectic  tendency.  Warned  by  these  indications,  pru- 
dence had  made  him  a  strict  water-drinker,  and  abstemious  in  his  diet — 
a  mode  of  treatment  which  he  applied  to  all  his  patients,  short  or  tall, 
stout  or  thin,  with  whom,  Avhatever  their  disease,  he  invariably  began  by 
reducing  them,  as  an  arithmetician  would  say,  to  their  lowest  terms. 
This  mode  of  treatment  raised  him  so  much  in  the  estimation  of  the  pa- 
rochial authorities,  that,  with  their  usually  economical  tenderness  toward 
the  poor  rates,  except  when  vestry  dinners  were  concerned,  they  unani- 


TYLNEY    HALL.  ^ 

mously  conferred  on  him  the  appointment  of  parish  doctor,  under  a  tirell 
grounded  conviction  that,  in  his  dietetic  prescriptions,  he  would  'level 
over-pamper  the  pauper  bodies  confided  to  his  care.  His  deportment  wai 
characterized  by  a  profusion  of  ceremonious  bows,  and  set  complimentary 
phrases,  borrowed,  probably,  from  some  antiquated  code  of  manners  tha 
he  had  studied  in  his  youth,  and  which  he  delivered  with  such  pomp  of 
Emphasis  and  set  solemnity  of  face,  that  the  dignified  title  of  Dr.  Bellamy 
invariably  degenerated,  behind  his  back,  into  the  more  popular  alias  of 
Old  Formality.  Such  was  the  personage  now  introduced  to  the  sick 
chamber,  where  he  stood  bowing  profoundly  to  Sir  Mark,-  whom  he  was 
somewhat  surprised  to  see  on  his  feet. 

"  Egad,  Doctor,"  exclaimed  the  Baronet,  "  you  have  hunted  me  4own 
at  last,  though  how  you  hit  upon  the  foil — " 

"  I  had  the  pleasure,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  of  seeing  Bedlamite  at  the 
door;"  and  the  animal,  if  he  had  been  present,  would  doubtless  have 
come  in  for  a  congee. 

"  Sir  Mark,  we  must  get  you  home  instantly,  and  put  you  to  bed.  What 
further  measures  may  be  necessary  to  expel  the  gout  from  your  stomach — " 

"  Fxpel  the  devil,"  said  Sir  Mark,  in  a  vehement  whisper.  "I'm  as 
well  as  ever  I  was  in  my  life.  You've  overrun  the  scent,  man, — your 
patient,  Doctor,  lies  yonder." 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,"  said  '•'  Old  Formality,"  bowing  afresh  to  the 
dimity  furniture  of  the  bed,  from  which  the  voice  of  the  invalid  was  heard. 

"  Mark,  if  you  love  me,  give  the  worthy  Doctor  no  trouble  on  my  be- 
half; I  am  past  human  help.  I  have  prayed  but  to  live  for  one  purpose, 
which  is  all  but  accomplished — send  for  my  son." 

At  this  moment  the  gruff  voice  of  Jonas  Hanway  was  heard  in  alter- 
cation with  that  of  a  boy,  accompanied  with  a  sound  of  scuffling,  which 
approached  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  room,  till  eventually  the  door  was 
flung  open,  and  a  youth  darting  suddenly  in,  cast  himself  on  the  bed  by 
the  side  of  the  invalid.  For  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  dead  pause, 
broken  only  by  the  sobbings  of  the  intruder,  whom  the  parent  endeavored 
to  compose  from  time  to  time,  by  a  feeble  caress.  Sir  Mark  in  the 
mean  time  seated  himself  on  the  other  side  of  the  bed,  and  grasped  the 
left  hand  of  the  boy,  who  his  heart  told  him  was  his  nephew. 

"I  know,  brother,  what  you  mean,"  said  the  warm-hearted  Baronet ; 
"  he  shall  be  as  a  son  of  my  own — he  shall  be  all  one  with  Ringwood  and 
Raby  ;  he  shall  be  as  one  of  our  own — he  shall,  by  G — ,"  The  invalid 
made  no  reply,  but  by  raising  himself  on  his  elbow  towards  the  speaker,  and 
for  a  minute  the  two  brothers  seemed  to  look  into  each  other's  soul.  At 
last  a  languid  smile  passed  over  the  features  of  the  younger,  and  with  a 
faint  nod  of  acknowledgment  he  composed  himself  again  on  the  pillow, 
where  his  eyes  closed  and  his  lips  moved,  as  if  in  mental  thanksgiving. 

The  scene  was  of  such  interest,  that  Dr.  Bellamy  and  Mrs.  Hanway, 
the  only  persons  present  who  had  "the  gift  of  tongues,"  were  subdued 
into  silence;  at  last  the  respiration  of  the  invalid  was  only  indicated  by 
the  feeble  and  irregular  heaving  of  the  bed-clothes. 

"  Thanks  be  to  Providence,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway,  "  he  is  composing 
himself  to  sleep  ;  we  must  trust  him  a  while  to  nature,  and  he  shall  have 
bomethin?  composing  as  soon  as  he  wakes." 

"  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  sending  a  soporific,"  said  the  Doctor, 
*'  as  soon  a«!  I  set  home." 

"  And  he  shall  take  it,"  added  Mrs.  Hanway,  "  if  I  wake  him  up  on 
purpose." 

Sir  Mark,  whose  plain  common  sense  hafl  detected  the  approaches  ot 
sleep,  in  the  meantime  drew  the  boy  by  gentle  violence  from  the  bed,  an^ 
led  him  from  the  room,  followed  by  Dr.  Bellamy,  leaving  Mrs.  Hanwa 


20  TYLNEY    HALL. 

nothing  loth,  in  charge  of  the  sick  chamber.     As  they  descended  the 
stairs,  the  Baronet,  in  a  melancholy  tone,  addressed  the  Doctor, 

"  I  am  afraid,  Doctor,  you  have  come  up  too  late  to  stop  the  earth  my 
poor  brother  is  going  to." 

"  I  have  the  honor  of  entirely  coinciding  with  your  opinion,"  returned 
the  obsequious  physician.  "It  is  evident  the  patient  has  enjoyed  a^ 
plethoric  habit,  inducing  diversion  of  the  gastric  juices,  derangement  of 
the  whole  nervous  functions,  attended  with  febrile  symptoms,  decay  of 
the  vital  energies,  and  all  the  other  concomitants  of  a  disorganized  con- 
stitutional system.  Palliatives,  Sir  Mark, — palliatives  are  all  we  can 
administer.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  I  will  again  pay  my  respects  to 
the  case,  and  ad  interim  I  shall  have  the  honor  of  exhibiting  a  few  grains 
of  opium  to  the  pillular  form."  With  these  words  he  took  up  a  huge 
quaker-like  hat,  and  making  a  ceremonious  bow,  intimated  to  the  Bar- 
onet that  he  had  "  the  pleasure  of  bidding  him  good-morning." 


CHAPTER  V. 

•'Some  of  these  second-sighted  persons  will  pretend  to  see  a  funeral,  and  bespeak  the 
'leath  of  the  individual  who  is  shortly  to  occupy  a  hearse." 

Tour  in  the  Highlands 

"  Asking  your  honour's  pardon,"  said  Jonas,  meeting  the  Baronet  at  the 
door  of  the  parlour,  "  the  young  gentleman's  coming  up  was  no  fault  of 
mine.  Mrs.  Hanway  thinks  that  people  as  is  to  part  for  ever  had  better 
be  separated,  and  I  had  him  confined  to  the  bar,  but  he  begged  so  to  see 
his  papa  afore  he  died,  that  I  hadn't  the  heart  to  refuse  him,  and  partic- 
ularly as  he  kicked  and  bit  quite  astonishin'  for  his  age — please  to  walk  this 
way,"  he  continued,  waving  one  hand  toward  the  parlour;  "  as  the  whist 
club  is  apt  to  get  noisy,  and  sick  people  don't  agree  with  loud  singing,  I 
have  got  'em  to  dissolve  themselves  for  a  week." 

"  I'll  make  it  all  up  to  you,  Jonas,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  whist  club  and 
all.  And  as  for  the  boy,  he  may  stay  with  us.  Why  as  I  live,"  he  ex- 
claimed, examining  for  the  first  time  the  face  of  his  nephew,  "  he's  of  a 
cross  breed,  he's  as  brown  as  Gipsy  Jack !"  The  boy  thus  referred  to 
instantly  plucked  his  hand  from  the  Baronet's,  and  with  a  quick  movepent 
of  resentment  turned  away  a  face  in  which  red  had  now  the  mastery, 
while  his  eyes  glistened  almost  fiercely  through  the  springing  tears. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  Sir  Mark,  laying  his  broad  hand  with  an  encour- 
aging slap,  but  which  might  have  served  for  a  corrective  one,  on  the 
youth's  shoulder  ;  "  what  I  said  about  the  skin  was  only  for  the  sake  of 
giving  tongue — a  good  horse  can't  be  of  a  bad  colour." 

"  The  best  I  ever  set  behind  was  a  brown  one,"  remarked  Jonas,  "  let 
alone  a  fault  in  his  temper." 

This  unlucky  illustration,  though  adduced  in  perfect  innocence  by  the 
ex-coachman  of  Sir  Theodore  Bowles,  was  taken  as  a  pointed  allusion  by 
the  impetuous  Creole,  who  instantly  discharged  the  first  object  at  hand  at 
the  astonished  utterer.  The  missile  happened  to  be  the  old-fashioned  do- 
mino box  of  the  Whist  Club.  But  passion  had  misdirected  the  aim,  and  its 
violence  fell  on  "Unlucky  Joe,"  who  at  that  moment  entered  the  club-room 
to  break  the  broken  knees  of  the  piebald  mare  to  the  publican.  The  nar- 
rative, however,  died  still-born,  for  the  box  struck  him  full  in  the  mouth,  the 
shock  scattering  the  whole  stock  of  bony  counters,  like  a  shower  of  loosen- 
ed teeth.   The  poor  postillion  instantly  clapped  both  his  hands  to  his  mouth. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  31 

und  for  some  minutes  seemod  to  be  suffering  under  the  operation  of  some 
wheelwright  who  had  undertaken  the  part  of  Cartwright  at  a  short  notice. 

"  It's  ruffinly  usage,  so  it  is,"  he^exclaimed  as  soon  as  he  could  speak, 
"  and  it's  what  nobody  but  me  would  have  taken  quietly  ;  when  accidenta 
happen,  as  I'm  too  poor  to  stand  the  damage,  it's  always  took  out  in  kicks. 
I  was  goin'  to  ax  pardon  about  the  mare,  but  now  Master  Hanway  we're 
quits."  At  the  mention  of  this,  Jonas  bolted  off  the  nearest  way  to  the 
stable.  In  the  mean  time  the  Baronet  recognised  the  features  of  the  sport- 
ing post-boy  who  had  hedged  off  the  piebald  mare  at  Windmill  Grange. 

"  If  I  recollect  right,  my  lad,  I  owe  ye  a  trifle  for  postage,  and  something 
besides  for  my  nephew's  mishap  with  the  box  of  dominoes,  for  its  was  no 
Bhot  of  Jonas's  ;  but  I  must  give  it  yon  some  other  time,"  he  added,  thrust- 
ing first  one  hand  and  then  the  other  into  the  pockets  of  his  buckskins,  but 
which,  in  his  haste  to  escape  from  Dr.  Bellamy,  he  had  forgotten  to  fur- 
nish. 

"  It's  like  my  luck  all  over,"  muttered  the  fatalist  to  himself,  as  he  left 
the  room,  "  my  misfortunes  is  paid  down  on  the  nail ;  but  for  a  bit  of  a 
godsend,  I'm  obliged  to  give  tick." 

The  Baronet  thus  left  to  the  company  of  a  sullen  boy,  with  whom  he  did 
not  care  to  make  the  first  advance  towards  conversation,  looked  round  the 
room  for  something  to  divert  his  thoughts  with,  but  after  a  vain  search  was 
compelled  to  give  himself  up  to  his  own  cogitations  ;  he  had  just  taken  one 
elbow  chair  and  lifted  his  legs  upon  another,  when  through  the  parlour  door, 
which  remained  open,  he  saw  Jonas  re-enter  and  pass  towards  the  bar,  fol- 
lowed by  a  litde  dapper  rosy-faced  man  in  black  ;  a  jingUng  of  glass  en- 
sued, and  then  an  audible  smack  of  the  hps,  in  token  of  the  relish  of  the 
libation.  To  the  dialogue  which  followed,  the  Baronet  became  unavoidably 
a  listener. 

"  It's  capital.  Master  Hanway,  capital !  worth  a  whole  pint  of  the  poor 
stufT  at  the  Bell." 

**  1  have  it  straight  from  the  distiller's,  Master  Naylor  ;  when  one  wants 
good  unadulterated  liquor,  there's  nothing  like  ^oing  to  the  fountain-head." 

"  Aye,  aye,  Master  Hanway,  but  at  the  Bell,  you  know  what  I  mean, 
hey're  apt  to  go  to  the  fountain-head  rather  too  much.  Spirits,  as  I  say3 
sometimes  to  a  taker-on,  spirits  won't  bear  too  much  lowering.  The  so- 
ciety's very  grumpy  about  it,  I  assure  you  ;  very  grumpy  indeed." 

*'  That's  to  say,  the  society  for  people  as  want  to  be  buried  ?"  inquired 
the  voice  of  the  landlord. 

'•  The  very  same.  Master  Hanway,  and  though  I  say  it,  as  should'nt  say 
it,  beingr  president  of  the  club,  as  snug  and  merry  a  little  free  and  easy  as 
you'd  wish  to  be  interred  by.  Only  two  guineas  a  year  including  mutes, 
bearers,  feathers,  and  the  best  pall,  with  everything  agreeable.  You  couldn't 
bury  yourself  for  the  money.  The  hquors  is  but  so  so,  as  I  have  said  be- 
fore, but  the  Bell  mayn't  always  be  our  funeral-bell,  as  we  call  it  by  way  of 
a  joke.  There's  more  houses  to  meet  at  in  the  place,  and  as  I  told  the  land- 
lord t'other  day,  we're  not  screwed  down." 

"  I've  heard  the  Black  Horse  very  well  spoke  of,"  remarked  the  disin- 
terested host  of  the  Rabbits. 

"  No,  no.  Master  Hanway,  we've  black  horses  enough  of  our  own.  But 
that's  by  way  of  a  joke.  However,  as  I  said  before,  the  Bell  don't  answer, 
and  as  I  says  to  the  members,  if  so  be  we  are  to  shift  our  tressels,  we  may 
as  ^'ell  pitch  them  again  among  friends.  Now  there's  my  old  neighbour 
and  crony  Dick  Tablet  belongs  to  a  society,  and  for  old  acquaintance  sake 
I  should  prefer  to  club  our  clubs  together  at  the  same  sign." 

"  And  that's  the  very  sign  you're  now  drinking  at,"  rejoined  the  voice  of 
Honest  Jonas,  with  some  eagerness.  "  The  Whist"  Club  and  the  Rabbits 
has  pulled  together  these  fifteen  years,  and  I  make  bold  to  hope  will  keep 
6-— 1 


22  TTLNET  HALL. 

step  for  as  many  more  to  come.  For,  as  Master  Tablet  says  jokingly,  every 
Friday,  as  long  as  I  don't  shuffle 'em,  they'll  never  cut  me." 

"  They'd  never  better  themselves  if  they  did,  Master  Hanway  ;  the  li- 
quors at  this  house  is  capital,  if  they  are  like  the  Cogniac.  And  "then  as  to 
the  extensive  prospect,  as  I  said  before,  the  Bell's  a  fool  to  it.  By-the-by, 
talking  of  prospects,  what  a  wonderful  pleasant  look  out  you  must  have, 
Master  Hanway,  from  the  windows  of  your  best  bed-room." 

•'  Pretty  enough  in  summer,  Master  Naylor,  when  there's  any  grass  and 
a  few  lean  beasts  upon  the  Flats.  But  it's  a  melancholy  prospect  for  him 
as  now  lies  there  with  his  last  shutters  shut." 

"I  never  observed  'em.  Master  Hanway,  never,  upon  my  word,  or  it 
wouldn't  have  become  me  to  stand  here  saying  things  by  the  way  of  joke, 
and  a  change  expected  in  the  house.  But  such  is  our  memento  moris  in 
this  world.  Here  am  I,  as  we  may  say,  in  the  vanity  and  pride  of  life,  and 
a  Baronet's  brother  dying  by  inches  over  my  head." 

"  It's  no  slow  work,  Master  Naylor,  it's  next  thing  to  sudden  death.    His 

consumption,  as  Mrs.  H says,  has  broke  into  a  gallop,  and  he'll  go 

down  like  a  shot.  Old  Formality,  Pr.  Bellamy  that  is  to  say,  has  just  timed 
him,  and  says  his  last  stage  will  be  done  within  the  hour." 

"  We're  cut  off.  Master  Hanway,  like  the  flowers  of  the  field.  Here  to 
day  —  gone  to-morrow  —  all  flesh  is  grass.  It's  what  we  must  all  come  to. 
Our  breath  was  given  to  be  took  away  again.  Such  is  the  common  lot. 
We're  all  mortal,  no  one  can  call  to-morrow  his  own,  but  death  niur^t  pay 
the  debt  of  nature.  Dust  we  are,  and  to  dust  we  must  return.  Such  being 
the  case,  Master  Hanway,  delicacy  in  course  forbids  introducing  the  burial 
society  into  the  house  till  after  the  obsequies.  In  the  mean  time  you  will 
oblige  by  presenting  my  dutiful  inquiries  to  Sir  Mark,  or  may  be  by  stick- 
ing my  card  up  on  the  mantlepiece,  or  in  the  frame  of  the  looking  glass,  or 
any  where  prominent  where  sure  to  be  seen.  It  will  be  a  hearse  and  six, 
and  a  lead  coffin  in  course,  as  before.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  performing  to 
the  late  Baronet." 

"  I'll  cram  your  undertaking  card  down  your  own  d d  throat,  and 

{)erform  your  own  body  to  the  horsepond,"  thundered  a  voice  from  the  par- 
our,  and  the  sentence  had  hardly  been  passed  when  the  culprit  found  himself 
in  the  hands  of  the  executioner.  "  Ar'n't  you  ashamed,"  he  continued,  "  to 
stand  croaking  over  a  fellow  creature  as  if  he  was  so  much  carrion?"  And 
a  shake  accompanied  the  words  that  threatened  to  divest  the  human  raven 
of  his  dingy  plumage,  and  at  the  sam«  time  shivered  the  first  word  of  his 
apology  Into  a  demi-semiquaver.  To  render  the  finale  more  operatic,  the 
quavering  ended  by  the  violent  bolting  out  of  a  lower  note,  followed  by  a 
melo-dramatic  stagger  of  the  performer,  the  whole  length  of  the  passage ; 
concludmg,  as  the  pantomime  always  comes  last,  with  a  clown-like  plunge 
of  his  head  into  the  stomach  of  Master  Tablet,  whom  fate  had  just  brought 
to  the  door,  with  his  own  card  of  obliging  inquiries." 

"  Gog's  nouns!  Master  Naylor," exclaimed  the  stonemason,  as  he  reco- 
veied  his  breath  and  equilibrium,  "  it's  early  hours  of  the  day,  for  a  man  to 
bo  losing  his  legs."  Another  moment  however  sufficed  to  convince  him 
that  the  undertaker  was  quite  able  to  walk,  and  with  some  celerity.  A 
whisper  from  Jonas,  with  a  side  glance  at  Sir  Mark,  speedily  explained  the 
mystery,  whereupon  Master  Tablet  instantly  faced  about,  without  calling 
for  his  morning  draught,  and  left  the  Rabbits  as  though  it  had  been  a  whist 
night,  withoAjt  playing  a  card.  For  another  twenty  minutes,  the  Baronet 
was  left  in  the  parlour  to  his  own  companionship,  his  nephew  having  taken 
advantage  of  the  fracas  to  escape  up  stairs  to  the  chamber  door,  where  he 
lay  couchant  like  a  leopard.  At  last  the  usual  noise  announced  the  return 
of  Dr.  Bellamy,  whose  presence  for  the  first  time  was  welcomed  by  Sii 
Mark  as  a  tiling  to  be  desired.     Wliile  the  worthy  Doctor,  with  a  delibera- 


TYLNEY    HAT.D.  23 

tion  peculiarly  appropriate  to  the  place  and  the  occasion,  divests  hiniaelf  of 
his  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  his  gloves,  his  spatter-dashes,  his  riding  coat 
and  his  comforter,  we  will  take  the  liberty  of  presenting  a  case  of  one  of  the 
most  curious  phenomena  in  the  mysterious  world  of  dreams. 

Contrary  to  the  received  opinion,  that  sleep,  as  a  mirror,  reflects  back 
merely  the  predominant  images  of  tlie  waking  mind —  it  more  frequently 
happens  that  the  imagination,  released  from  the  control  of  the  external 
senses,  flies,  with  a  truant  spirit,  to  scenes  and  deeds  as  remote  as  possible 
from  those  of  its  daily  bondage.  The  night-cap  is  its  cap  of  liberty.  On 
this  principle  the  felon  in  the  condemned  cell  —  during  that  awful  season, 
when,  contrary  to  the  calendar  of  time,  the  shortest  night  and  the  longeffi 
are  within  a  few  hours  of  each  other  —  instead  of  erecting  visionary  scaf- 
folds, haunted  by  a  horrible  phantasmagoria  of  the  demons  of  crime  and 
remorse,  instead  of  withering  under  fiend-like  impersonations  of  shame 
torror,  scorn,  and  human  vengeance,  be  wanders  through  woods  dear  to 
boyhood,  or  angles  placidly  m  some  well-remembered  stream,  with  thoughts 
as  pure  and  calm  as  its  lucid  waters.  Even  thus,  in  lieu  of  dallying  "  with 
graves,  and  worms,  and  epitaphs,"  the  discursive  fancy  of  the  sleeping  in- 
valid mounted  with  him  like  the  pilgrim's  vision  from  "  the  Valley  of  the 
Shadow  of  Death,"  to  the  Delectable  Mountains  of  health,  youth,  and 
vigour.  He  was  again  a  gallant  soldier,  b#unding  over  the  field  of  glory 
on  a  war-horse,  gifted  with  an  elasticity  and  power,  exalted,  by  the  .soaring 
phantasy,  to  a  pitch  somewhat  supernatural.  Anon  "  a  change  came  o'er 
the  spirit  of  his  dream  :"  he  was  disgraced  for  some  undefined  crime,  and 
fallen  under  the  extreme  sentence  of  a  court-martial.  The  troops  were 
drawn  up,  the  sentence  was  read,  the  firing  party  took  their  station,  the  com- 
mand was  given,  the  volley  roared,  and  the  victim  awoke  —  the  rattle  of 
the  musketry,  by  a  marvellous  phenomenon  in  dreaming,  coinciding  exactly 
with  the  thundering  double-knock  of  the  physician. 

The  Doctor,  followed  by  Sir  Mark,  had  accordingly  reached  only  the 
middle  of  the  stairs,  when  he  was  met  by  Mrs.  Hanway,  who,  with  a  self- 
complacent  smile,  informed  him  that  the  patient  "  had  woke  again  quite 
charmin',  and  had  himself  expressed  that  a  change  had  taken  place  for  the 
better." 

'*I  am  proud  to  say  I  expected  as  much,"  replied  Old  Formality;  "and 
the  efficacy  of  the  pills  I  have  had  the  honour  to  prescribe,"  he  added,  bow- 
mg  to  Sir  Mark,  "  affords  me,  in  this  case,  a  peculiar  gratification." 

At  the  mention  of  pills  Mrs.  Hanway  uplifted  her  hands  and  eyes  with  a 
sisrnificant  expression,  which,  luckily  for  the  Doctor,  escaped  his  notice. 
Little,  indeed,  did  he  dream  that  the  Mercury  of  medicine  had  encountered, 
in  a  by-road,  a  junior  messenger  of  the  Post  Office,  as  much  disposed  for 
a  little  relaxation  as  himself,  and  that  the  pills  in  question  had  been  driven 
out  of  the  ring  of  memory  by  those  heavier  marble  boluses  which,  in  the 
school-boy's  vocabulary,  are  called  alleys  and  taws. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  In  a  P.rtnlght,  or  three  weeks,"  added  my  Uncle  Toby,  smiling,  "  he  might 
march." 

Tristam  Sh.indt. 

Om  entering  the  sick  chamber  the  visiters  found  an  alteration  in  the  ap- 
T>carance  of  the  patient,  that  seemed  fully  to  justify  Mrs.  Hanway's  bulle- 
rin  ;  his  cough  had  entirely  ceased,  there  was  a  slight  tinge  of  red  on  his 
chock,  and  his  eyes  soaricied  even  lustrously,  as  if  life,  hy  a  successful  rally 


24  TYLNEY   HALL. 

at  the  very  close  of  the  mortal  contest,  had  obtained  an  unexpected  victory. 
He  was  sitting  up  in  bed,  supported  by  pillows,  one  hand  in  the  possession 
ot  his  son,  who  covered  it  with  kisses,  the  other  was  taken  without  opposi- 
tion by  Dr.  Bellamy,  who  applied  himself  with  great  ceremony  to  the  pulse, 
and  after  a  solemn  pause  of  two  minutes  he  intimated,  by  a  smirk  and  a 
nod  to  Sir  Mark,  that  the  verdict  was  favourable. 

"  God  be  praised,"  ejaculated  the  Baronet.  "  Egad,  Doctor,  let  me  alone 
for  a  judge.  I  told  you  he  was  full  of  running.  Herbert,  my  boy,"  he 
continued,  grasping  the  hand  which  Old  Formality  had  resigned,  "  how 
d'ye  ye  find  yourself?' 

"  Better,  Mark  —  better,  beyond  conception.  I  feel  a  lightness  and  free 
dorn  from  suffering,  such  as  I  have  not  experienced  for  many  a  long  day." 

"  Hark  to  him.  Doctor,"  cried  the  delighted  Sir  Mark  ;  "  hark  to  Her- 
bert!  he's  twice  the  voice  he  had  in  the  morning.  He's  got  his  second 
wind.  He'll  give  old  boney  the  slip  —  he  will  by  Jove:"  and  his  rising 
exultation  outstripping  his  powers  of  eloquence,  he  vented  his  hilarity  in  a 
way  as  natural  to  him  as  breathing,  namely,  by  a  subdued  but  triumphant 
yoicks ! 

"  My  narcotic  pills  have  done  wonders,  most  assuredly,"  replied  the  Doc- 
tor, "  though  at  the  same  time  I  must  confess  myself  under  some  obligation 
to  the  excellence  of  the  constitution  I  have  had"^the  honour  to  assist ;"  and 
the  bed  a^ain  received  a  bow- worthy  of  that  old  school  of  manners  which 
polished  Sir  Charles  Grandison. 

"  With  the  Doctor's  permission,  Mark,  I  will  be  moved  up  to  the  Hal. 
to-morrow  —  I  feel  quite  equal  to  the  exertion,  indeed,  if  it  were  necessary, 
I  should  not  hesitate  to  undertake  the  removal  this  evening  ?" 

"  With  all  deference,  Sir,  to  your  own  feeling  of  ability  —  which  I  beg 
leave  to  say  I  do  not  at  all  dubitate  in  the  least  —  yet  in  the  responsible 
character  of  a  medical  adviser  I  feel  called  upon  to  decline  forming  a  deci- 
ded opinion  for  the  present.  In  the  evening  I  shall  again  pay  my  respects 
to  the  disease,  and  in  the  mean  time  we  will  prescribe  a  febrifuge,  which 
I  shall  be  infinitely  obliged  by  your  taking  every  half  hour  ;  with  regard  to 
dietetics,  I  will  instruct  the  good  woman  of  the  house  —  Mr.  Herbert 
Tyrrel,  I  am  your  most  obedient — Sir  Mark,  I  am  your  very  devoted." 
Two  twin  boys  followed,  and  the  physician  again  descended  the  stairs  with 
the  noise  peculiar  to  persons  of  his  stamp.  Mrs.  Hanway  interrupted  him 
at  the  bottom,  and  had  ample  time  to  receive  her  instructions,  while  helping 
him  on  with  his  very  complicated  defences  against  weather. 

"  No  solids,  Mrs.  Hanway,  nor  much  liquid  —  and,  above  all,  no  sti- 
mulants ;"  was  the  summary  of  the  charge. 

"  Not  for  the  world.  Doctor,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hanway,  "  we've  no  sti- 
mulus in  the  house,"  so  saying  she  dropped  a  low  curtsey  and  returned  to 
the  bar  to  complete  the  beating  up  of  the  yolks  of  two  eggs  with  a  large 
bumper  of  port. 

The  doctor  on  his  cob,  a  sort  of  roan  compounded  of  rhubarb  and  mag- 
nesia, and  which  neither  galloped,  trotted,  nor  cantered,  but  had  a  pace  of 
its  own  made  up  of  all  three,  had  barely  cleared  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when  the 
voice  of  Sir  Mark  was  heard  overhead  shouting  —  **  Stop  him  !  for  God's 
sake  head  him  back  —  halloo  to  Dr.  Bellamy  !"  But  the  Doctor,  muffled  up 
all  but  the  peak  of  his  nose,  was  already  far  beyond  the  reach  of  lungs 
more  stentorian  than  those  of  Mrs.  Hanway.  She  however  gave  three  heron- 
like screams  to  the  desert  air  of  the  Flats,  and  according  to  her  own  motto 
of  "  be  prepared  for  the  worst,"  she  rushed  up  stairs,  armed  with  a  bunch 
of  feathers  and  a  phial  of  sal  volatile.  The  patient,  however,  when  she  en- 
tered the  room,  seemed  beyond  her  aid  :  he  was  lying  on  his  back,  his  hands 
firmly  clenched  till  the  knuckles  started  out  like  marbles,  his  eyeUds  closed 
together  forcibly  within  a  deep  hollow,  his  checks  sunk,  while  his  lips  were 


TYLNEY    HALL.  25 

SO  tensely  drawn  that  the  teeth  appeared  with  a  «fhaslly  proniinenco-  It 
was  indeed  the  very  aspect  of  a  corpse,  for  though  not  dead,  his  features 
had  iindergoiie  that  proplietic  alteration  which  is  expressed  hy  the  popular 
phrase  of  bein»  "  changed  for  death."'  Tlie  treacherous  appearances  which 
had  so  rejoiced  Sir  Mark,  and  had  deceived  Dr.  Bellamy  himself,  had  origi- 
nated only  in  that  transient  elevation  of  spirits  alluded  to  by  Romeo  — 

How  oft  when  men  are  at  tlir;  point  of  ileath 
Have  they  been  merry  ?  which  their  keepers  call 
A  Jightiiiug  before  death. 

In  such  a  case  the  sparkle  of  the  eye  is  but  as  the  upflashing  of  an  expir- 
ing taper ;  and  the  rosy  forgery  of  health  upon  the  cheek  resembles  only 
those  ruddy  sunsets  pcrtendmg  ploon^  and  tears.  Thus  the  corporeal  reac- 
lion  became  suddenly  evident  by  an  alarming  swoon,  from  which  with 
great  difficulty  the  sufferer  was  recovered.  At  last  he  unclosed  his  eyes 
and  i^azed  around  him  as  wildly  as  if  they  had  opened  on  another  world. 

"  Indiana,"  he  exclaimed,  riveting  two  eager  orbs  of  a  startling  brillian- 
cy on  the  face  of  the  horror-stricken  Mrs.  Hanway,  "  wherefore  are  you 
here  ?  take  her  away  —  pull  her  off  me,  quick  j"  —  and  his  arm  waved  im- 
petuously.—  "  She  has  a  knife  !" 

*'  His  head  is  going."  whispered  Mrs.  Hanway  to  Sir  Mark  ;  "  it  is  time 
to  send  for  the  clergy." 

"  Retnove  the  boy,"  continued  the  strong- 'wild  voice  of  delirium  j  "  he 
must  not  see  me  bleed  — his  mother  did  it." 

"  Ah,  papa  !  dear  papa  !  don't  send  me  from  you  —  pray  don't,"  sobbed 
the  terrified  boy,  struggling  with  all  his  might  to  retain  the  hand  which  the 
invalid,  with  that  fitful  strength  which  belongs  to  frenzy,  disenofaged  by  a 
single  effovL 

"  Away,  woman,"  he  cried,  "  don't  cling  to  me  ;  away  —  out  of  my  sight 
-  we  part  for  ever ! " 

A  long  pause  of  exhaustion  succeeded,  during  which  his  eves  Gradually 
became  duller,  and  when  he  spoke  again,  it  was  with  a  tone'so  altered,  so 
feeble  and  mild,  that  it  seemed  as  if  two  distinct  spirits  with  their  several 
voices  inhabited  the  same  body. 

"  I  am  going,  Mark,  going  rapidly;  the  grave  is  closins'  round  me — I 
am  dead  to  the  waist.  Come  nearer,  Mark  —  nearer  still  ;"  the  Baronet 
placed  his  ear  close  to  his  brother's  lips,  and  actually  staggered  backward 
as  the  appalling  supernatural  voice,  abruptly  resu'med,  fell  with  ull  force 
on  the  astounded  sense.  "  Don't  hurt  her,"  it  shouted,  "  she's  maJ  —  mad 
with  jealousy!  Indiana,  you  had  no  cause  for  this  !"  and  the  intense  bright 
eyes  again  fixed  themselves  on  the  countenance  of  Mrs.  Hanway,  who,  in 
an  agony  of  undefinable  terror,  sunk  on  her  knees  and  shrouded  herself  in 
the  curtain. 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  Herbert,"  said  the  bewildered  Sir  Mark,  "  if  you 
htive  anything  on  your  mind,  make  a  clean  breast  of  it.  If  it's  about  the 
boy,  I  've  sworn  to  back  him  through  this  world,  and  while  I  live  I  '11  ride 
with  him  rouufl  the  course."  The  invalid  for  a  moment  gazed  on  his  bro- 
ther, as  if  without  comprehending  his  words  ;  but  the  caresses  and  sobs 
of  his  son  recalled  a  spirit  which  seemed  already  hovering  between  earth 
and  heaven. 

"  He  loves  me  ns  fondly  as  his  mother.did,"  said  the  dying  parent,  with 
a  voice  again  feeble  and  tremulous;  "  but  his  temper  has  some  ot  ncr  tro- 
pical fire,  which,  as  a  last  injunction,  I  conjure  his  future  father  to  re- 
press." 

"Make  your  mind  easy,  Herbert,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  he 's  a  mettlesome 
colt,  I  know,  but  I  '11  drive  him  at  the  lower  bar.     I  wish  the  Almighty  had 
pleased  to  leave  the  reins  in  your  own  hand  ;  but  his  will  must  be  done ; 
1* 


VO'  tyjl:)JEY  hall. 

since  our  hopes  are  come  to  this  check,  and  we  must  part,  all  we  can  do  is 
to  look  forward  to  a  better  pkicc.     If  you  would  iilte  to  have  the  curate  to 

ease  your  mind " 

"  I  feel  no  more  misgivings,"  answered  the  dying  man,  "  than  a  Christian 
ought  on  the  brink  of  an  unknown  world.  I  have  my  hopes  and  my  fears 
—  there  are  dark  clouds  and  bright  clouds  before  me  —  and  they  both  l>Iin<l 
me  alike."  His  voice  now  sunk  so  suddenly  as  to  be  scarcely  audible,  but 
he  made  a  sign  to  his  child  and  his  brother,  who  stooped  doWn  to  receive 
his  last  embrace.  "God  bless  —  both,"  he  whispered, '*Indiana  —  I  for- 
give all —  Walter,  don't  cry — we  shall  soon  —  be  —  in  England,"  The 
sound  ceased  with  a  long-drawn  sigh.  The  dying  man  fixed  his  last  look 
full  upon  Sir  Mark,  who,  as  he  gazed  on  the  motionless  eyes  before  him, 
saw  the  transit  of  life  as  visibly  as  if  a  taper  had  been  removed  suddenly 
from  behind  each  window,  so  called  in  Scripture,  of  the  human  soul. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  Come,  come— the  pills  !  where  are  the  pills  ?  produce  them ."' 

The  HoNEyMOOK. 

As  soon  as  the  breath  nad  left  the  body,  Mrs.  Hanway  made  a  sign  t& 
Sir  Mark  to  withdraw  his  nephew  from  the  room,  in  order  that  the  rieces- 
sary  duties  might  be  performed  to  the  corpse. 

"  Poor  Herbert,  he  is  gone  at  last,  and  God  rest  his  soul  I"  he  ejaculated, 
withdrawing  bis  arm  for  ever,  and  by  an  agonizing  effort,  from  under  the 
inanimate  head,  which  seemed  now  to  retain  it  with  a  pressure  of  a  ton  of 
marble :  "  here  am  I  older  and  more  deserving  to  be  cut  off  than  poor  Her- 
bert—  but  the  best  always  top  the  feirce  first  into  the  other  world.  Thank 
God,"  he  continued,  taking  the  boy's  hand  into  his  own  huge  grasp,  "  he 
died  easy,  and  in  his  own  country,  where  he  was  roused,  and  his  own 
friends  in  at  his  death,  instead  of  being  run  into  in  the  West  Indies  among 
a  pack  of  heathens  and  blacks.  But  talking  here  is  out  of  place,  when 
melancholy  duties  are  waited  for;"  so  saying,  he  drew  his  nephew  with 
some  force  from  the  bed,  and  led  him  down  stairs  to  the  parlour,  where  he 
began  preaching  composure  and  resignation  to  the  weeping  boy,  in  a  dis- 
eourse  very  different  from  that  of  a  commonplace  funeral  sermon,  but  quite 
as  worthy  of  publication. 

"  Come  now,"  he  said,  *'  tg-ke  heart  a  little,  and  consider  what  must  be 
must.  Your  poor  father  is  dead  and  gone,  and  now  you  must  look  up  to 
me  ;  if  his  run  has  n't  been  as  long  as  some,  he  has,  maybe,  been  saved  a 
deal  of  distress  and  struggling  on  his  last  legs,  and  which  is  better  than 
seeing  him  wearing  out  by  inches,  and  death  having  him  in  view  all  the 
time.  For  my  own  part  it  comforts  me  to  think  I  have  shook  his  last  hands 
and  closed  his  last  eyes,  and  shall  be  able  to  see  him  go  to  earth  as  a 
Christian  ought,  in  the  old  family  vault,  with  his  own  kith  and  kin.  It 
seems  hard,  no  doubt,  to  part  company  with  those  that  are  so  dear  to  us, 
but  it's  so  with  one  and  all,  whatever  their  pedigrees  ;  for  if  death  did  n't 
draft  off  now  and  then  out  of  all  our  breeds,  the  world  would  be  over- 
stocked :  that 's  the  order  of  nature.  Such  being  the  case,  we  should  meet 
ovir  misfortunes  like  men,  instead  of  taking  on  and  being  noisy  and  babbling 
in  our  griefs,  as  if  that  would  head  him  back  again,  and  which  is  quite  im- 
possible. To  be  always  trying  back  with  repinings  after  what  is  lost  and 
gone,  is  nothmg  but  running  counter  in  the  sight  of  the  Almighty,  and 
likely  to  bring  punishment  on  our  backs  for  such  a  course.  To  be  sure, 
when  my  own  sire  died,  I  gave  tongue  just  as  you  do,  and  said  I  could  not 


TYLNEY   HALL.  27 

lie  over  it ;  and  yet  here  I  am,  rising  fifty-four  if  I'm  a  day,  and  able  to  ride 
up  to  any  hoimds  in  the  kini^dom.  As  1  said  before,  we  must  al!  die  some 
day  or  other,  and  in  consequence  either  we  must  all  lose  our  fathers  or  our 
fathers  must  lose  us,  and  Providence  has  wisely  ordained  that  they  should 
generally  go  first." 

In  this  practical  style  of  consolation  the  worthy  Baronet  continued  for 
some  time  longer,  till  coming  to  a  check,  as  he  would  have  called  it,  from 
his  words  havmg  overridden  his  ideas,  he  was  compelled  to  hold  bar  ,, 
when  he  discovered  that  his  nephew,  overcome  by  grief,  watchino-,  and 
exertion,  had  fallen  through  mere  exhaustion  into  a  profound  slee  <. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  circumstance.  Sir  Mark  stole  away  to  the  bar, 
and  gave  an  order  which  brought  Jonas's  neat  postchaise  from  ordinary 
into  commission.  By  substituting  a  blue  jacket  for  a  brown  one,  dofiing  ;i 
white  apron,  and  changing  a  pair  of  slip-slop  shoes  for  top-boots,  in  about 
twenty  minutes  Pots,  like  an  anagram,  was  transposed  into  Post,  and 
sprang  his  four-wheeled  rattle  at  the  door.  The  youth  still  sleeping,  was 
lifted  into  (he  vehicle,  the  Baronet  followed,  after  a  few  instructions  to 
Jonas,  and  thrusting  his  head  out  of  the  front  window,  gave  the  whispered 
direction  "  to  Tylney  Hall." 

Just  as  the  chaise  departed,  the  landlady  descended  the  stairs.  "It 's  all 
over  —  it's  all  over,  Mr.  Hanway,"  she  exclaimed,  entering  the  bar  some- 
what hastily,  and  helping  herself  to  a  glass  of  one  of  her  own  restoratives. 

"  Poor  gentleman,"  said  Jonas,  it's  very  sudden,  but  I  said  when  I  saw 
him,  he  was  going  down  hill  without  the  drag  on  ;  with  his  sufTerings  it's 
a  happy  release." 

"  A  happy  release  indeed,"  echoed  a  voice  from  the  kitchen,  with  a  ve- 
hemence as  if  it  enjoyed  its  exaltation  from  the  low  whisper  to  which  all 
the  tongues  in  the  house  had  been  subjected.  "  If  it  warn't  a  sin  to  rejoice 
over  another's  latter  end  I  'd  say  a  good  riddance.  What  with  making  up 
slops,  and  broths,  and  gruels,  and  sagoes,  and  arrow-roots,  and  panadas, 
for  one  as  won't  eat  'em,  and  tl\pn  having  to  live  on  'em  in  the  kitchen  — 
for  misses  won't  have  anythin'  wasted,  — well,  I've  giv  warnin'  a  hundred 
times,  but  now  it  shall  be  in  arnest!" 

To  tell  the  truth,  the  speaker  had  but  too  much  reason  for  such  com- 
plaints, for  Mrs.  Hanway  was  one  of  those  good  managers  who  in  model- 
ling a  figurative  statue  of  economy,  are  apt  to  make  both  ends  meet  by 
allowing  no  waste.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  Betty  the  cook  would 
have  ventured  on  such  an  audible  statement  of  her  grievances,  if  her  cour- 
age had  not  been  reinforced  by  something  more  potent  than  barley-water 
and  apple-tea.  Forewarned  by  hints  from  up-stairs,  and  signs  quite  as 
significant  as  death-watches,  or  tallowy  winding  sheets,  or  coffins  out  of  the 
fire,  she  had  ascertained  that  the  sick  gentleman  would  soon  be  a  dead  one, 
and  with  the  vulgar  instinct  of  selfishness,  she  immediately  began  to  con- 
stitute herself  his  residuary  legatee.  First  she  administered  to  the  old  port 
that  should  have  been  beaten  up  with  the  yolk  of  esgs ;  secondly  to  the 
sherry  intended  to  flavour  the  calves-foot  jelly  ;  thirdly,  to  the  mountain 
provided  for  making  a  white  wine  whey;  and  then  the  Cogniac  about  to 
be  burnt  for  a  stomachic.  Fifthly,  she  gulped  down  the  sal  volatile  and 
water,  which  stood  ready  as  a  restorative  ;  and  finally,  the  ardent  appetite 
increasing  by  what  it  fed  on,  she  swallowed  even  the  spirits  of  wine  des- 
tined to  be  consumed  with  camphor,  by  way  of  precaution  against  infec- 
tion. Inflamed  by  these  various  stimulants,  her  mind  began  to  open,  as  an 
oyster  docs  when  subjected  to  unusual  heat ;  and  out  flew  the  diatribe 
against  the  poor  defunct  gentleman,  and  his  poor  diet. 

The  unlucky  words  reached  a  pair  of  quick  ears  in  the  bar,  and  were  not 
at  all  lost  on  the  irritable  Mrs.  Hanway.  She  was  in  thai  peculiar  mood 
to  which  some  tempers  are  liable  after  agitation  and  excitement,  when  the 


t8  TYLNEY   HALL. 

nerves  arc  still  vibrating  and  urojng  the  possessor  by  way  of  vent  to  exer- 
tion or  Violence  ;  in  short  she  labouied  under  a  fit  of  what  is  emphatically 
called  the  fidgets.  Deposed  suddenly  from  the  active  situation  of  head 
nurse  to  a  hving-  patient  to  the  passive  one  of  being  custos  of  a  corpse,  she 
wanted  something  whereon  to  expend  the  surplus  energies  of  mind  and 
body;  accordingly  the  obnoxious  words  were  no  sooner  uttered  than  she 
rushed  into  the  kitchen,  and  planted  her  face  at  bare  toasting  distance 
against  the  fiery  visage  of  the  cook,  who  stood  balancing  on  two  legs,  not 
quite  so  steadily  as  a  peg  top  does  on  one. 

*'  Can  I  believe  my  ears,"  she  asked  in  a  vehement  whisper,  intended  to 
preserve  the  due  decorum  of  a  house  of  mourning.  —  "  Can  I  believe  my 
own  senses  !  — To  dare  to  rejoice  over  a  fellow  creature's  departure,  and 
the  corpse  in  the  very  house — I  wonder,  hussey,  your  own  latter  end  did 
not  fly  in  your  face  !" 

"What  I've  said  I've  said,"  answered  the  cook  doggedly,  "  and  I  an 't 
...  going  to  eat  my  words  —  no  nor  the  sick  messes  and  slops  nayther,  if  it 
omes  to  that.  So  if  you  mean.  Ma'am,  to  hold  me  to  my  warnin,you  may 
Ma'am.  As  for  my  own  dyings,  I  only  wonder  I  'm  alive  this  blessed  day, 
so  I  do  —  what  with  your  quack  doctering  and  nosterr.ms.  They  've  been 
the  real  ruin  of  my  precious  health,  that's  what  they  have  — the  Lord  for- 
give you !" 

"  O  the  wretch,"  ejaculated  the  indignant  mistress,  "  to  have  no  more 
gratitude.  —  This  comes  of  my  nursing,  and  proscribing  you,  and  giving 
it  with  my  own  hands  —  only  last  Christmas,  and  snatching  you  back  from 
death's  door." 

"Yes,  Ma'am,  —  and  well  nigh  chucked  me  in  agen  at  the  window," 
returned  Betty,  "  thro'  giving  me  so  much  cooling  physio  in  the  hard  fros- 
ts ses.  My  own  mother  that  boie  me  would  not  have  knowed  such  a  bag 
of  bones.  Smce  I  've  been  here  I  've  swallowed  whole  pecks  of  pills  as  if 
they  was  nothing  but  green  peas,  and  have  took  rubub  enuffto  turn  me  into 
a  Turk.  I  can  't  bear  it  no  more,  and  so,  as  I  said  before,  if  so  be  1  'm  to 
stay  in  the  place,  the  physic  must  be  put  on  the  same  futting  as  the  tea  and 
sugar  —  a  guinea  a  year  and  find  myself." 

"You  have  never  taken  anything  in  this  house,"  retorted  Mrs.  Han  way, 
"  except  for  your  good  —  and  when  your  system  wanted  lowering,  and  for 
purifying  the  blood  —  and  if  you  have  been  a  little  reduced  or  so,  have'nt 
you  had  nourishing  things  and  all  sorts  of  support,  provided  it  was  light 
and  easy  of  digesting?" 

"My  disgesting,  Ma'am,  thank  God,  wants  no  such Hght-cning.  I  was 
noted  from  a  child  for  a  strong  stomach,  only  it  can  't  ahide  weak  slops. 
Sago  and  sich  is  very  well  for  the  consumptions  as  lies  in  a  sick  bed,  and 
hasn  't  got  a  hard  place  ;  but  lawk  help  you,  what's  their  works  to  mine, 
coughing  and  wheezing  is  one  thing,  and  frying  beef-steaks  and  inguns  is 
another.  If  it  warn 't  for  my  strong  constitution,  it's  a  miracle  of  miracles 
how  I  stand  it  —  what  with  roast,  and  biled,  and  fried  afore  a  great  flaming 
fire,  and  in  everlasting  flurries  and  hurries,  now  this  here  pot  biles  over, 
then  that  ere  fat  ketches,  and  then  the  sut  tumbles,  and  the  dratted  cat's  at 
the  drippin  pan  —  and  is  a  little  wishy  washy  drop  of  barley-water  the  thino" 
to  cool  and  refresh  one  after  the  likes  o'  that  —  not  that  I  'm  going,  Ma'am, 
to  complain  of  what  I  was  bred  and  born  to,  but  only  to  takin  more  slops, 
and  especially  physic,  than  belongs  to  cookery,  and  my  wages  not  riz  there- 
by—  to  be  sure  the  bottles  would  be  sumrnut,  but  arter  one  is  doctored  to 
death,  who  's  to  come  to  me  up  in  heaven  and  say.  There,  Betty,  there 's  the 
empty  vials  for  your  parquisites." 

"Your  perquisites  indeed  !"  cried  Mrs.  Hanway,  waxing  in  wrath,  "a 
pretty  speech  truly  ;  it 's  high  time  you  left  the  Rabbits  when  you  begin  to 


TYLNEY  HALL.  29 

talk  of  perquisites  —  but  you  shan't,  stay  another  night  in  the  housg,  no  not 
an  hour —  perquisites  indeed       I  '11  hi've  you  go  this  moment." 

"What,  this  very  moment  Mam  —  this  very  dividual  moment,  this  mo- 
ment as  I  'm  speaking  Mam  ?" 

"  Ay,  hussey,  this  very  moment,  and  the  sooner  the  bettor." 

"  Why  there  then  —  I  takes  your  warnin,  and  washes  my  hands  o'  my 
place"  —  and  as  she  spoke,  the  unruly  ruler  of  the  loast  deliberately  relaxed 
her  ruddy  fingers,  letting  fall  from  one  hand  a  saucepan  of  sago,  and  from 
the  other  a  basin  of  arrow-root,  as  dab  and  suddenly  as  corporal  Trim 
dropped  his  hat  to  illustrate  his  discourse  upon  death.  Like  the  veteran 
she  neither  dashed  them  down,  nor  flung  them,  nor  pitched  them,  nor  jerked 
them,  bat  let  them  go  plump,  as  if  apoplexy  had  given  her  notice  to  quit 
instead  of  Mrs.Hanway.  The  latter  was  not  a  woman  to  bear  with  wan- 
ton breakage.  In  fact  the  Tartar,  as  of  old,  began  to  rise  on  the  ruin  of 
China,  but,  luckily  for  the  devoted  cook,  her  fury  was  arrested  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  boy  laden  with  a  basket  in  the  t>ont  passage ;  no  other  in 
fact,  than  the  tardy  walking  dispensary  of  Dr.  Bellamy. 

Doctors'  boys,  like  chimney-sweeps,  iiniversally  run  very  small,  and  Old 
formality's  urchin  really  looked  as  stunted  as  if  his  board  as  well  as  his 
wases  had  been  derived  from  his  master's  shop.  Perched  at  a  door  in 
charge  of  the  old-fashioned  covered  chaise,  he  looked  actually  like  a  peri- 
winkle shrivelled  in  its  shell.  He  had  two  little  dark  bolus- looking  eyes, 
set  squintingly  in  a  long,  pale,  old  face,  in  the  middle  of  which  stood  a  nose 
originally  a  pug,  but  made  seeminc:;ly  still  pugger  by  its  habitual  turn-up  at 
the  nauseous  freight  that  he  commonly  carried.  His  mouth  had  an  appro- 
priate screw-up  of  its  own,  as  if  hinting  that  he  considered  his  place  was 
to  take  out  medicine,  and  not  to  take  it  in,  while  a  chin  of  disproportionate 
length  rested  on  a  couple  of  linen  dog-ears,  wliich  he  called  a  collar.  As 
for  his  livery,  it  was  of  a  very  decided  blue,  turned  up  with  quite  as  deci- 
ded a  red,  matching  exactly  the  ver}'  colours  of  the  two  glass  globes  which 
by  night  glared  over  the  Doctor's  door  —  for  as  yet  the  chymists  had  not 
compounded  those  delicate  tints,  which  in  our  days  emulate  the  fashionable 
Parisian  hues  of  eau  do  Nil,  terre  d'Egypte,  and  flammes  d'enfer.  Small 
as  the  imp  was,  however,  his  predecessor  must  have  been  smaller,  for  his 
clothes  did  not  fit  —  his  sleeves  hung  as  distant  from  his  sides  as  if  he  held 
an  imaginary  quartern  loaf  under  each  arm,  and  his  knee  breeches  buttoned 
above  his  knee,  his  gaiters  were  an  inch  too  short,  and  his  shoes  were  as 
much  too  long,  but  were  kept  on  by  a  liberal  allowance  of  supplementary 
tow  thrust  into  each  extremity.  Nothing  else  was  big  enough  for  him  save 
his  hat,  which  he  kept  from  extinguishing  his  eyes  by  wearing  his  pocket 
handkerchief  and  two  sheets  of  brown  paper  in  the  crown,  as  well  as  letting 
it  rest  on  the  collar  of  his  coat  behind,  a  collision  which  had  given  a  truly 
cleiical  turn  to  the  back  of  the  brim.  Gloves  he  had  none,  though,  as  far 
as  appearance  went,  he  scarcely  needed  them,  his  hands  looking  always  too 
red  or  too  blue  to  be  taken  for  the  natural  skin. 

"  If  you  please,  Ma'am,"  said  the  dwarf,  fumbling  out  a  small  box  from 
his  basket,  "if  you  please,  Ma'am,  Pve  brought  the  sick  gentleman's  pills." 

The  wrath  of  Mrs.  Hanway  was  at  its  climax.  Second  only  to  the  mor- 
tal sin  which  so  horrified  John  Bunyan,  she  reckoned  the  inexpiable  crime 
of  letting  a  sick  gentleman  go  to  heaven  without  his  physic.  With  indig- 
nant hand  she  seized  a  fleshy  appendage,  which,  like  a  Corinthian  volute, 
curled  downward  from  the  brim  of  the  culprit's  hat,  and  a  caper  instantly 
followed  that  strikingly  proved  liow  much  the  style  in  dancing  depends  on 
the  ear  of  the  performer.  The  step  in  this  case  was  of  a  May-day  charac- 
ter, consisting  of  alternate  hops  on  each  foot,  pain  and  fright  in  the  mean 
time  compelling  the  dancer  to  let  go  his  basket,  which  fell  with  a  hideous 
crash,  followed'by  the  powerful  aromas  of  squills  and  camphor,  aether  and 


so  TTLNEY    HAfL. 

assafetida,  while  a  flood  of  mingled  hue  meandered  along  the  floor,  the 
acids  and  alkalies  hissing  at  each  other  like  enraged  serpents. 

"In  the  name  of  mercy,  woman,"  cried  Jonas  from  the  bar,  "what's  the 
meaning  of  the  uproar,  wiiat's  the  matter?" 

"  It'slife  and  death's  the  matter,"  replied  Mrs.  Hanway,  "finishing  ofFher 
discipline  with  a  smart  cuff" on  the  ear,  which  made  this  real  pill-garhc  con- 
clude his  pas  seul  with  a  pirouette. 

"  She  harn't  no  right  to  ill-use  me,  that  she  harn't,"  he  bellowed,  "she 
an't  my  mother." 

"Let  the  poor  fellow  alone,"  cried  Jonas  ;  "  if  so  be  he  runs  restive,  his 
own  master  can  lay  the  whip  into  him  a  pretty  deal  smarter  nor  you  can." 

"  A  little  villain,"  retorted  Mrs.  Hanway,  "  is  people  to  go  into  the  other 
world  without  their  pills  — and  all  through  such  a  little  divil  as  him  ?" 

"  The  gentleman's  dead  and  gone,"  returned  Jonas,  "  and  what  signifies 
the  pills  —  horse-balls  would'n't  'a  saved  him." 

"  And  let  me  tell  ye,  Mr.  Hanway,"  retorted  his  spouse  very  sharply, 
"  pills  signifies  a  good  deal  when  human  lives  is  hanging  like  spiders'  upon 
threads." 

"  That's  true  any  how,"  said  the  unrufl3ed  Jonas,  "  and  I'm  thinking  how 
many  human  beings  '11  be  cantering  their  last  stages  for  want  o'  the 
draughts  and  mixtures  you  've  been  upsetting  of." 

"  I've  been  the  upsetter  of  nothin'  that  can't  be  made  good  again,  thank 
God,  nobody's  deaths  can  be  laid  at  my  door,  —  and  I  wish  every  other  little 
wicked  vagabond  could  say  as  much,  there's  other  folks  understands  the 
matera  medicus  as  well  as  Old  Formality." 

"  The  matera  medicus  will  be  all  stopped  out  o'  my  wages,"  blubbered 
the  boy,  "and  may  be  my  head  pestled  and  mortared  into  the  bargain.  I 
should  like  to  know  who's  to  find  me  any  character  when  I  'm  turned  out 
neck  and  crop,  from  Dr.  Bellamy's." 

"  To  be  sure  it's  only  fair  and  reasonable,"  said  the  considerate  Jonas, 
"  we  should  give  the  boy  a  trifle  towards  the  physical  damage." 

"  I  shall  give  no  such  fiddlesticks,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway  very  tartly,  "  the 
sick  patients  is  all  I  looks  to ;"  so  saying  she  stooped  down,  apd  carefully 
gathered  up  the  labels  from  the  medicinal  wreck,  the  directions  on  which 
she  faithfully  copied  and  appended  to  as  many  fresh  phials,  that  she  filled 
up  with  various  draughts  and  mixtures  of  her  own  compounding,  to  the  in- 
finite relief  of  the  dwarf,  who  thus  saw  an  infallible  remedy  for  what  ap- 
peared a  complication  of  incurable  disasters.  Promising  faithfully  to  keep 
the  secret,  he  set  out  cheerfully  to  deliver  the  nostrums  at  their  respective 
destinations,  and  although  one  invalid  had  to  take  pennyroyal  three  times  a 
day,  instead  of  sarsaparilla,  and  another  had  a  draught  of  peppermint  in  lieu 
of  bark,  while  a  third  svvallovved  cammomile  tea  in  place  of  syrup  of 
Bquills  —  yet  to  the  credit  of  Mrs.  Han  way's  practice,  the  patients  did  nei- 
ther better  nor  worse  than  if  they  had  swallowed  the  identical  medicines 
originally  prescribed. 


TTLNET    HALL.  $1 


CHAPTER  VnL 

lUt  th 
Creolian,  aa  ihey  call  him. 


"  A   prefty  pickle  he'il  put  the  house  into;    had  he  been  ma'=ter'3  own  son,  and* 
Christian  Englishman,  thTe   coul^  not  have  been  more  rout  than  there  is  about  this 

rpniian     a>5  tUf.v  rail  biro." 


The  West  Indian. 


Aboft  tlie  same  time  that  the  doctor's  boy  departed  from  the  Rabbits 
with  his  frc?h  carao  of  medicine,  the  post-chaise  entered  the  avenue  which 
!ed  to  Tylriey  Hall,  and  was  immediately  descried  by  the  sharp  gray  eyes 
of  Mrs.  Deborah,  the  antiquated  housekeeper.  She  instantly  gave  a.  cry, 
as  shrill  and  broken  as  that  of  an  upright  pencil  hopping  across  a  slate,  in- 
voking the  presence  of  "  Jere-mJah!  —  Jere-miah  !  —  Jere-miah!"  She 
had  been  naturally  voluble,  but  a  tryste,  asthe  Scotch  call  it,  which  she  had 
lield  too  faithfully  for  a  faithless  swain,  was  said  to  have  been  the  cause  of 
an  affection  of  the  luno^s,  which  she  now  entertained  in  lieu  of  an  affection 
of  the  heart.  Neglected  love  had  brousht  on  a  neglected  cold,  which  had 
terminated  in  an  asthmatic  shortness  of  breath,  that  made  strange  havoc 
with  her  enunciation.  As  well  as  printing  can  typify  her  defect,  her  soli- 
loquy ran  tTuis  :  — 

"  Well  as  I  hope —  to  be  saved  by  Gemini — it's  gone  to  his  stomach  and 
a  post-chaise  is  coming  up — the  avenue  he  must  be  put  to  bed  —  that 
comes  of  going  off —  without  his  ale  and  hung  —  beef  run  up  and  warm  the 
bed  —  Lord  send  him  well  throusrh  it — don't  forget  to  put  the  kettle  on  his 
feet — as'usual  must  be  bathed  with  a  sack  posset  —  God  be  praised  sir — " 
she  panted  as  the  chaise  drew  up,  "  at  seeing  your  honour —  safe  between 
me  and  Dr.  Bellamy  —  we  may  keep  your  legs  from  going  to  your  inside." 

"You're  running  breast-high  after  a  red-herring,"  said  the  Baronet 
through  the  window,  to  the  astonished  Mistress  Deborah,  whose  literal  mind 
took  the  scampering  after  a  Yarmouth  bloater  in  good  earnest,  and  made 
her  have  a  misgiving,  that  the  gout  had  flown  into  her  master's  head. 

"  You 're  running  breast-high,  after  a  red-herring,"  he  repeated,  "and 
must  be  whipped  off.  As  for  gout,  you  may  draw  every  corner  I  have 
in  my  inside,  and  it  will  be  a  blank  day  after  all,  —  but  that's  neither  here 
nor  there.  As  far  as  hunting  goes  1  haven't  had  a  single  burst,  let  alone 
from  Windmills  Grange  to  the  Rabbits,  and  then  only  to  be  in  at  the  death 
of  my  own  dear  brother.  You  did'nt  kill  him,  Dick,  did  ye?"  he  continued, 
nbruptly  addressing  his  huntsman,  who  presented  an  arm  on  one  side  of  the 
chaise  door. 

"I'm  d — d  if  we  didn't,"  answered  Dick,  "and  in  forty  minutes  — he 
was  chopt  in  a  fuz." 

"  And  this  is  his  son,"  said  Sir  Mark,  turning  again  to  the  house-keeper 
• — and  pointing  to  the  Creole  as  he  alighted. 

"As  like  Mr.  Herbert,"  panted  Deborah,  "as  two  pease biled  —  in  the 
same  pot  with  his  very  nose  —  his  eyes  are  exactly  like  his  mouth  —  and 
his  chin  —  and  every  other  feature  —  he's  brownish  to  be  sure  and  the  Tyr- 
rels  — is  all  fair  —  but  a  little  milk  of  roses  —  will  remove  a  ship  and  a  sea 
Toyage  —  is  apt  to  tan." 

The  brown  face  of  the  Creole  at  this  speech  assumed  a  tinge  of  scarlet, 
like  poppies  springing  amongst  ripe  corn,  but  he  contented  himself  with 
lookincr  a  box  of  dominoes  at  the  housekeeper,  and  passed  into  the 
Hall.  " 

"  And  now  welcome  to  Tylney  Hall,"  said  the  Baronet,  taking  and 
shaking  bis  nephew's  hand  very  heartib'*  "  vour  home  that  is  to  be,  you  shall 


S2  TVLNEY    HALL. 

liave  a  room  of  your  own,  and  a  nag  of  your  own,  like  Ringwood  andRab}'. 
Little  Spitfire  would  be  the  very  thing  to  carry  you  — and  as  to  the  doHS, 
you  shall  have  any  one  you  like,  and  the  little  single  gun,  provided  you  don't 
shoot  the  birds  of  season.  As  Deborah  says,  you're  the  very  image  of  my 
poor  brother  Herbert ;  and  I'll  be  a  father  to  }ou  for  his  sake  ;  so  you  musn't 
fret  and  take  on  so,  or  you'll  fall  off  in  your  feed  and  get  out  of  condition, 
and  may  be  go  after  him  yourself,  and  it's  our  duty  in  such  a  case  to  hold 
hard  in  time.  But  the  boys  will  put  you  in  heart  better  than  I  can.  If 
you're  for  hunting  or  shooting  —  I  mean  after  the  funeral — you'll  find 
Ilingwood  as  up  to  everything  as  Nimrod  ;  and  if  you're  bookish,  there's 
Raby  knows  every  volume  in  the  library  inside  and  out,  and  can  tell  you 
the  performances  of  any  author  you  hke.  I  wish  he  could  ride  as  well  as  he 
reads;  but  I've  remarked  through  life,  that  sedentary  people  never  have  a 
good  seat.  Now  your  poor  father's  gone,  we  must  comfort  ourselves  by 
thinking  of  his  straight-going  principle  through  life,  and  trust  you  will  fol- 
low in  his  line  without  skirting.  And  Deborah  shall  send  up  the  tray,  for 
we  musn't  forget  nature's  wants,  and  to  my  knowledge  you  haven't  been  to 
rack  or  manger  the  whole  morning."  By  this  time  they  had  arrived  at  the 
dining  room,  Mdiere  the  table  had  been  already  furnished,  through  the  care 
of  Mrs.  Deborah,  with  a  cold  refection,  in  anticipation  of  some  dozen 
guests,  literally  as  hungry  as  hunters.  The  Creole,  however,  declined 
evervthing  that  was  oflered,  declaring  that  he  felt  neither  hanger  nor 
thirs't. 

"  Come,  come,  my  lad,"  said  the  good-natured  Baronet,  putting  a  coJd 
pigeon  on  his  nephew's  plate,  "supposing  your  poor  father  to  be  looking 
down  from  above  at  this  moment,  he  wouldn'^t  object  to  our  taking  onr 
meals.  To  be  sure  some  animals  when  they  lose  their  mates  or  their  dams 
wmU  waste  and  pine  away,  but  then  they  're  brute  beasts  and  know  no  bet- 
ter :  but  for  Christians  to  starve  themselves  to  death  on  account  of  the  dead 
is  flying  in  the  face  of  the  Bible.  It's  an  opinion  of  mine  that  nature  is 
nature,  and  if  a  man  is  not  properly  sensible  of  hunger  and  thirst  he  can't, 
be  sensible  of  sorrow,  or  grief,  or  anything  else  in  the  way  of  feehngs.  For 
my  own  part  I  think  grieving  is  very  apt  to  go  to  the  stomach,  for  1  remem- 
ber I  never  felt  so  sharp-set  in  my  life  as  at  my  uncle  Raby's  funeral,  what 
with  the  very  slow  pace  and  the  north-east  wind,  and  not  knowing  whether 
it  would  be  decorum  to  have  the  coach  windows  up ;"  so  saying.  Sir  Mark 
stuck  his  fork  into  a  cold  capon  and  was  just  beginning  to  illustrate  his 
precept  by  practice,  when  Ringwood  and  Raby  entered  the  room.  They 
were  both  fine  boys  of  thirteen  and  fourteen  years  of  age,  but  considerably 
difl^ering  from  each  other  in  person  and  features.  Ringwood  was  tall,  ro- 
bust, and  florid,  with  curling  brown  hair  and  fidl  bold-looking  dark  eyes. 
He  had  a  frank  open  manner,  laughed  often,  talked  much  with  a  loud  but 
pleasant  voice.  The  complexion  of  Raby,  the  youngest,  was  pale,  except 
■when  he  was  excited,  and  then  his  face  flushed  all  over  like  a  gill's,  and 
lis  dark  hazel  eyes  flashed  and  sparkled  through  their  long  lashes.  There 
was  nothing  of  sickliness,  however,  in  the  appearance;  his  skin  was  clear 
and  transparent,  the  flesh  firm,  the  lips  fresh  coloured,  possibly  the  black- 
ness of  his  hair  made  him  look  pale,  though,  in  reality,  he  was  merely  fair. 
He  was  as  well  made  as  his  brother,  but  slighter  in  figure,  and  he  had  a 
dash  of  reserve  in  his  address,  and  a  voice  rather  gentle  and  low  that  ac- 
corded with  his  own  pursuits  and  amusements,  which  were  of  a  nature 
somewhat  less  boisterous  than  the  field  sports  of  Ringwood.  The  dress  oi 
the  latter,  indeed,  bore  evidence  of  his  recent  occupation,  hard  riding 
through  deep  lanes  having  spotted  him,  "like  a  pnrd,"  from  head  to  heel, 
for  he  had  but  just  come  home  with  the  pad  of  the  fox  which  had  gone 
away  in  tlie  morning  from  Windmills  Gianoe. 

"Here,  boys/'  said  Sir  Mark,  and  leading  the  Creole  towards  his  two 


TYNLEY    Hi^LL.  33 

sons,  "I've  brought  home  a  new  cousin  to  ye,  so  shake  hands  and  take  to 
him  at  once,  he  comes  of  your  own  blood,  and  I  hope  you  feel  it  draw  to 

hnn  as  I  did.     He's  my  own   nephew  by  Herbert  out  of ■  oirt  you 

can  't  remember  your  uncle  Herbert,  for  he  went  abroad  before  you  were 
born." 

"Oh,  yes,"  returned  Ringwood  eagerly,  "and  married  a  black  woman, 
an.l  she  stabbed  him,  and  Mrs.  Han  way  saw  the  scar  when  she  laid  out 
the  body,  and  it  bled  whenever  she  said  Indiana." 

"  The  devil  take  Mrs.  Hanway,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  and  whoever  else 
opened  on  it,  but  only  let  a  woman  give  tongue ^" 

"  It  was  not  a  woman,  papa,"  interrupted  Ringvvood  ;  "  I  had  it  from 
nnhicky  Joe,  the  post-boy.  I  met  him  riding  home  one  of  his  master's 
horses,  and  he  pulled  up  very  civilly  to  tell  me  the  news  about  the  Rabbits 
and  uncle  Herbert,  and  that  you  were  to  come  home  in  the  post-chaise." 

"  And  was  that  all  ?"  said  Sir  Mark  hastily. 

"Nothing  else,  papa,  only  I  gave  him  a  shilling  to  drink"  —  here  Ring- 
wood  laughed  —  "  and  he  said  he  was  the  unluckiest  chap  in  the  world,  and 
gave  a  siijh  that  would  have  turned  round  old  Mudo^e's  windmill." 

"  And  not  a  word  about  Bedlamite?"  asked  the  Baronet,  in  some  alarm, 
—  "I'd  promised  him  a  crown  to  bring  him  safe  home  to  the  Hall." 

"Then  as  sure  as  I'm  alive,"  exclaimed  Ringwood,  "it  teas  Bedlamite 
that  I  saw  at  a  distance,  galloping  over  the  Flats  without  a  rider,  only  Dick 
offered  to  hold  me  a  crown  that  it  was  no  such  thing,  and  he  never  bets, 
you  know,  except  when  he's  as  right  as  a  trivet." 

Had  four  carrion  crows,  at  that  moment,  flapped  at  the  window  —  had  a 
spectral  knacker's  cart  passed,  or  seemed  to  pass,  across  the  room,  or  a 
warning  hoof  given  three  kicks  at  the  door  —  had  a  dog's  meat-barrow 
flown  out  of  the  fire  —  had  an  ominous  glanders  of  tallow  guttered  down 
the  side  of  the  candle,  while  a  death-watch  of  one-horse  power  simultane 
ously  struck  up  its  tic  douloureux,  the  Baronet  could  not  have  had  a  stronger 
presentiment  of  the  death  of  his  favourite.  By  the  help  of  his  sons  he  pulled 
a  grandsire  peal  of  triple  bobs  on  all  the  bells  in  the  house,  as  well  as  the 
great  one  on  the  outside,  which  alarmed  company  to  their  dinner:  at  this 
extraordinary  summons  every  domestic  on  the  establishment,  male  or  female, 
instantly  put  in  an  appearance,  and  in  five  minutes  every  man  or  boy  thai 
could  ride  was  galloping  ofTin  the  direction  of  the  Flats. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

*'  Wo  worth  the  chase  !  "Wo  worth  the  day, 
That  cost  thy  life,  ray  gallant  gray  !>' 

Lady  of  the  Lake. 

Aw  hour  had  scarcely  elapsed  when  the  Baronet,  at  about  his  sixtieth  visit 
to  the  front  window,  perceived  the  huntsman  returning,  like  a  discomfited 
captain  of  horse,  with  the  remnant  of  his  company  at  his  heels.  As  they 
came  at  a  foot-pace  up  the  avenue,  both  horst^  and  men  hanging  their 
heads,  indicating  the  bodily  and  mental  distress  under  which  they  laboured, 
Sir  Mark,  with  a  qualm  as  if  the  gout  had  at  last  reached  his  heart,  abruptly 
turned  his  back  on  the  doh^ful  cavalcade,  but  unfortunately  was  confronted 
with  a  large  painting  of  Bedlamite  which  huncr  on  the  opposite  wall.  "  Ay," 
he  ejaculated,  apostrophizing  the  picture,  "  I  was  ofl^ered  a  cool  two  hun- 
dred for  ye  this  very  morning ;  but  it  isn  't  the  guineas  I  care  for,"  he  added, 
with  a  quivering  voice,  for  the  anticipated  catastrophe  not  only  unhorsed 
but  unmanned  him.  His  next  glance  fell  on  an  object  no  less  paiiiful,  a 
6—2 


34  TYLNET   HALL. 

noble  silver  cup  and  cover,  the  produce  of  a  hunter's  stakes,  won  by  th* 
same  Bedlamite,  but  who  was  perhaps  never  to  clear  a  hurdle  again.  Nor 
were  these  fears  uniTo-anded  —  Dick  soon  entered,  stroking^  down  his  fore- 
lock with  cue  hand,  while  the  other  brushed  hastily  across  his  eyes. 

"  It's  a  bad  day's  sport,  your  honour,  if  we  had  killed  twenty  foxes  and 
never  a  vixen  among  'em.  Master  Ringwood,  I'm  sorry  to  saj'your'n 
was  the  true  bill,  it  was  Bedlamite  and  nothing  else  we  see'd  galloping 
across  the  Flats.  I'll  warrant  he  heard  the  hounds  when  he  bolted  off,  and 
so  coming  to  the  gravel-pits,  your  honour,  for  he  never  refused  anythin' 
that  looked  like  a  leap,  he  went  slap  at  'em,  clearing  seven  good  yards  on 
end  if  he  springed  an  inch,  and  lighting  after  all  on  his  feet.  I  never  see 
such  a  sight  in  life  since  the  crazy  nursemaid  that  flinged  herself  out  o'  the 
garret  window.  He  was  struck  up  all  of  a  heap  like,  with  his  legs  jammed 
into  his  body.  You'd  have  thought  his  whirl  bones  and  stifles  was  a  com- 
ing out  at  his  lines." 

*'  There's  amen  then,"  sighed  the  Baronet,  "  to  the  best  hunter  in  Eng- 
land, whether  as  a  goer  or  a  fencer  —  I'd  rather  have  put  down  five  hun- 
dred guineas  —  but  it's  too  late  now,  the  breath's  gone  —  poor  fellow,  I 
shall  never  see  his  like  —  d'ye  mind  Dick  the  purl  he  gavb  me  at  the  ox- 
fence  with  the  ditch  on  t'other  side,  —  but  he'll  never  put  out  my  collar- 
bone again." 

"  And  please  your  honour,'*  answered  Dick,  "  exceptin'  a  bit  of  a  snivel 
for  my  own  father,  I  never  knew  what  crying  was  till  this  blessed  day.  If 
he  had  died  in  the  field  after  a  hard  run,  it  would  have  been  a  different  mat- 
ter, but  to  break  his  neck  down  a  gravel-pit,  and  without  a  livin'  soul  on 
his  back,  is  pitiful  to  think  on.  But  I  see  Master  Ringwood  is  beginnin' 
to  wince,  and  so  I'll  say  no  more  —  but  he'll  be  missed  in  the  grooming 
to-morrow;"  so  saying,  the  huntsman  gave  what  he  would  have  called  a 
cross  between  a  nod  and  a  bow,  and  if  in  opposition  to  a  horse-laugh,  there 
be  such  a  thing  as  a  horse-sigh,  with  that  very  kind  of  respiration  he  quitted 
the  apartment.  In  the  mean  time.  Sir  Mark  had  commenced  pacing  up 
and  down  the  room,  his  custom  when  he  was  much  excited,  and  was  mut- 
tering to  himself  in  broken  sentences  — 

"  Ay,  ay,  a  black  day  sure  enough  —  first  poor  Herbert,  and  then  the 
gray  horse  —  the  best  brother  —  and  the  best  hunter  that  ever  topped  a 
fence.  But  misfortune,  as  they  say,  always  shoots  right  and  left  with  a 
double  barrel.  Here's  Bedlamite  on  one  hand  with  a  broken  neck,  and 
yonder 's  my  own  brother  laid  out  for  burying  —  seven  good  yards  into  a 
gravel-pit ;  as  for  that  Joe  lucky  or  unlucky,  when  I  meet  him,  I  '11  ride  over 
him  —  with  his  whirl  bones  and  stifles  coming  out  of  his  loins  —  God's  will 
be  done,  but  it's  hard  to  bear  —  two  deaths  in  one  day  —  two  deaths  in  one 
day." 

To  go  back  a  little  in  our  story  while  Hanway's  post-chaise  was  preparing 
for  the  Baronet,  the  doomed  postilion  left  the  Rabbits  mounted  on  the  sur 
riving  post-horse  belonging  to  his  master,  and  leading  Bedlamite  by  the 
rein.  They  had  trotted  however,  barely  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  whether 
he  really  heard  any  hounds,  according  to  Dick's  surmise,  or  whether  he 
disdained  the  companionship  of  a  post-horse  —  the  high-spirited  gray  sud- 
denly jerked  the  bridle  out  of  Joe's  hand,  and  dashed  off  across  the  heath 
at  his  <^ery  best  pace.  A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  convince  Joe  of  the  futi 
Jity  of  hunting  a  hunter  on  a  spavined  job-horse,  and  accordingly  with  hia 
usual  malediction  on  his  luck  and  his  birth,  and  another  on  all  the  gray 
horses  in  the  world  —  he  gave  up  the  chase  as  one  of  those  bad  jobs  for 
which  he  let  himself  out  by  the  day,  month,  or  year.  Shortly  after  the 
mishap  he  encountered  Ringwood  Tyrrel,  but  could  not  muster  courage 
enough  to  communicate  what  had  happened,  and  subsequent  to  this  meet 
ino;  no  person  of  the  neighbourhood  could  remember  having  seen  the  fami 


TYLXET   HALL,  35 

nar  face  of  Unlucky  Joe.  The  post-horse  indeed,  was  found  duly  littered 
down  in  his  own  stall  in  his  master's  stable,  but  by  whom  he  had  been  so 
replaced  and  attended  was  a  profound  mystery  even  to  the  ostler  and  helps 
at  the  inu.  The  well-known  despondency  of  Joe's  character  induced  his 
fellow-servants  to  dras;  the  horse-pond  and  to  examine  the  well,  but  the}- 
found  nothing  that  could  lead  any  one  to  believe  that  such  had  been  "  liis 
luck." 

In  the  mean  time  the  carcass  of  Bedlamite,  as  a  morsel  too  noble  for  crows 
or  hounds,  was  carefully  broucrht  home,  in  order  to  undergo  a  formal  inter- 
ment, which  it  subsequently  received  under  a  mound  in  the  Park,  and  Mr. 
Richard  Tablet  was  commissioned  to  erect  a  monument  on  the  site.  As 
the  worthy  master  mason  had  no  architectural  invention  of  his  own,  he  lite- 
rally copied  his  obelisk,  cherubim  and  all,  from  a  certain  one  in  the  village 
church-yard,  to  the  memory  of  Mrs.  Eleanor  Cobb.  Some  persons  wondered 
that  he  did  not  even  copy  the  Resurgam  of  the  original,  instead  oC  Reqiiiescut 
in  Pace;  but  as  the  village  sculptor  always  pronounced  pace  as  one  sylla- 
ble, it  seemed  to  him  the  aptest  inscription  in  the  world  for  a  dead  horse. 


CHAPTER  X. 

"Men  must  not  be  poor ;  idleness  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  the  world's  wide  enon»h, 
tet  them  bustle  :  fortune  has  taken  the  weak  under  her  protection,  but  men  of  stnse 
tie  left  to  their  industry." 

The  Beaux  Stratagem. 

In  due  time  the  remains  of  Herbert  Tyrrel  were  translated  from  the  Rab- 
bits to  Tylney  Hall,  where  they  lay  in  state  in  the  best  bed-room,  —  the 
body  being  ceremoniously  watched,  day  and  night,  by  the  domestics  in  rota- 
tion ;  although  the  guard  was  occasionally  doubled,  the  females  decidedly 
objecting  to  sit  up  all  alone  with  a  corpse,  and  particularly,  as  the  dairy- 
maid remarked,  "  with  a  dead  corpse  which  wasn't  screwed  down."  In  ex- 
tenuation of  such  superstitious  fancies,  it  must  be  remembered,  that  the 
lower  classes  of  that  day  had  not  yet  become  penny-wise  through  the  me- 
dium of  Penny  Magazines,  but  were  still  absolutely  pound  foolish  on  the 
subject  of  ghosts  and  goblins  ;  nor  was  a  country  milk-maid  then  awar«,  as 
doubtless  she  is  now,  of  the  absurdity  of  a  gentleman,  of  sedentary  habits 
through  life,  taking  to  walk  after  deaih,  like  a  two-penny  postman. 

Besides,  the  chamber  in  question  was  actually  hung  with  some  of  the 
goblin  tapestry  of  tradition.  Accordmg  to  the  domestic  chronicle,  the  Tyr- 
rels  were  descended  from  that  same  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel,  whose  arrow,  aimed 
at  a  deer,  slew  the  royal  Rufus  in  the  New  Forest.  The  legend  darkly 
hinted,  tliat  it  was  no  chance  shot  that  had  glanced  from  a  king's  stag  to  a 
king's  heart,  and  indeed  the  immediate  flight  of  the  regicide,  and  the  appa- 
rently preconcerted  facility  of  his  escape  into  France,  seemed  to  justify  the 
inference.  At  any  rate,  it  was  matter  of  popular  belief,  that  the  best  bed- 
room had  been  haunted  ever  since  by  the  apparition  of  a  crowned  king,  with 
a  shaft  sticking  m  his  bosom;  and  by  way  of  collateral  evidence,  certain 
huge  antlers  in  the  hall  were  said  to  have  been  the  very  identical  horns  of 
the  stag  that  was  missed. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Baronet  received  daily  and  hourly  cards  or  calls  of 
condolence  from  persons,  some  of  whom  he  knew  by  si^ht,  some  byname, 
and  some  by  neither.  If  death  is  frequently  guilty  of  severing  relations  and 
friends,  he  is  as  often  the  occasion  of  bringing  them  togother;  for,  at  a  de- 
mise, many  branches  of  a  family  meet  and  congregate,  who  but  for  such  an 
occasion  would  most  probably  have  never  encountered  for  years.    Then  it 


36  TTLNET   HALL. 

is  that  strange  aunts,  uncles,  cousins,  and  demi- cousins,  gather  together,  a» 
if  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  to  mourn,  or  pretend  to  mourn,  over  a  person 
they  would  not  have  known  by  sight,  and  with  wliom  they  have  never  been 
on  visiting  terms,  till  a  bhick-edged  card  informed  them  that  he  was  at  home 
in  his  collin.  Thus  on  the  fifth  night,  at  the  unusual  hour  of  ten,  the  Ba- 
ronet was  favoured  with  a  huge  card  announcing  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Tvvigg, 
to  sympathize  as  a  branch  in  the  sorrow  of  the  Tyrrels ;  and  accordingly 
that  person  soon  made  his  entrance,  which,  to  Sir  Mark,  was  literally  "  a 
gentleman's  first  appearance  in  the  character  of  the  Stranger."  After  a  few 
bows  and  compliments  he  proceeded  thus :  — 

"  I  hope  I  know  better,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  than  to  intrude  at  un- 
timely hours,  but  as  the  saying  is,  necessity  has  no  law.  It  seems  very  odd 
that  a  man  of  my  property  can't  have  a  bed  at  an  inn,  but  so  it  is,  though  I 
offered  the  Green  Man  a  guinea  for  one,  and  that's  sixteen  shillings  more 
than  ever  I  paid  in  my  life.  It's  not  very  pleasant  for  a  man  with  money 
to  go  a  begging  for  a  night's  board  and  lodging ;  but  before  your  hospitality 
opens  an  account  with  me,  let 's  know,  says  you,  who  and  what  you 
are." 

"  To  tell  the  truth,"  replied  the  Baronet,  "  you  have  really  the  advantage 
of  me:  though  I  hope  you  won  't  take  it  as  any  thing  personal :  but  there 
are  so  many  strange  faces  in  the  field,  I  was  never  so  thrown  out  in  my  life. 
It's  very  strange.  Sir,  but  though  I  can  call  over  fifty  couple  of  hounds  at 
sight,  and  have  everyone  of 'em  at  the  tip  of  my  tongue,  and  some  of  them 
not  the  easiest  to  remember, — I  say.  Sir,  it's  very  strange,  but  of  all  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  that  have  been  in  at  the  death  of  my  poor  brother,  I 
can  't  give  their  own  names  to  one  half  of  the  pack,  upon  my  soul  I  can  H, 
dog  or  bitch." 

"Nothing  more  likely,"  returned  the  visiter,  "and  particularly  when 
there 's  property  in  the  case,  and  another  name  goes  along  with  it.  You 
must  know,  I  got  five  thousand  consols  from  my  old  master  for  changing 
Tyrrel  into  Twigg :  not  a  bad  bargain,  says  you,  and  indeed  t  'd  have  taken 
a  whole  firm  on  the  same  terms ;  otherwise  I  have  as  good  a  right  as  any 
one  to  have  a  stag's  head  on  my  gold  seal,  though  I've  took  a  bee  for  my 
crest  in  preference,  as,  barring  the  five  thousand,  all  my  honey  and  wax 
through  life,  as  I  may  say,  has  been  of  my  own  making.  But  that 's  neither 
here  nor  there,  as  regards  my  right  to  roost  on  your  family  tree.  I  presume, 
Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  you  've  heard  of  my  grandfather,  old  Theophilus 
Tyrrel,  that  died  and  left  nothing  to  nobody?" 

"To  be  sure  I  have,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  he  was  cleaned  out  on  the  turf. 
I  remember  I  was  at  his  funeral,  and  so  were  you,  Sir ;  I  thought  I  had  got 
a  view  of  you  somewhere,  though  I  could  not  hit  it  off.  Let  me  see  —  my 
aunt's  mother,  and  your  mother's  aunt —  but  I  shall  only  founder  if  I  attempt 
to  go  through  the  pedigree.  Mr.  Twigg,  you  are  heartily  welcome  to  Tyl- 
ney  Hall." 

"  I  beg  to  say  I  am  much  obliged.  Sir  Mark,  for  all  favours ;  and  must 
solicit  a  continuation  of  the  same  for  my  horse,  and  my  shay,  and  my  ser- 
vant. By  the  by,  if  you'd  like  my  shay  to  go  with  the  line  of  carriages,  at 
the  burying,  I  shall  feel  happy  to  oblige  :  I  brought  my  own  man  down  with 
me,  and  new  blacked  him  on  purpose.  I  assure  you  it's  a  very  spruce  sort 
of  set  out  —  bran  new  only  a  month  ago  —  yellow  picked  out  with  red,  and 
lots  of  bright  brass  bees  on  the  harness.  A  bit  of  a  flourish,  says  you,  for 
one  that  has  known  afore  now  what  drawing  a  truck  is.  But  where 's  the 
harm  of  that  ?  I  've  riz  like  a  rocket  at  Vauxhall  by  the  exertion  of  my  own 
hands,  and  have  as  good  a  right  to  leave  off  with  a  hit  of  a  flash." 

"Mr.  Twigg,"  said  the  Baronet,  "there's  no  disgrace  m  a  humble  set 
out  in  life,  provided  we  're  well  up  at  the  end  :  in  this  world,  yon  kn^w,  we 
can 't  all  be  equalLv  mounted  ;  one  begins  his  course  on  a  plute  hoi  so,  may- 


TYLNEY    HALL.  37 

be,  another  on  a  cock-tail,  and  another  on  a  galloway  ;  but  if  by  straight 
riding,  and  so  forth,  a  man's  in  a  good  place  at  the  finish,  why  it's  to  hia 
honour  and  credit,  and  let  him  have  the  brush  or  the  pad,  as  may  be,  gentle 
or  simple." 

"My  own  sentiments  to  a  T,"  exclaimed  the  delighted  Twigg.  "We 
ought  never  to  forget  what  we  sprung  from,  as  1  said  tlie  very  last  show  to 
the  Lord  Mayor,  who  begun  Ufe  as  a  common  waiter  at  a  tavern.  My  Lord 
Mayor,  says  1,  while  all  the  steeples  was  a-pealing,  them  's  bigger  bells  than 
used  to  ring  for  you  at  the  King's  Head.  To  be  sure  the  Sword-Bearer  took 
me  to  task,  but  I  gave  him  his  change.  I  wonder,  says  I,  a  man  can  be  so 
uppish  at  riding  behind  six  horses,  that  to  my  knowledge  has  been  drawn 
by  eight,  and  that 's  when  he  first  came  up  to  London  in  the  Bath  wagon.'* 

"  I  believe,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  you  were  not  intimate  with  my  poor  brother 
Herbert  —  indeed  he  was  so  long  abroad,  I  can  hardly  say  that  I  was  inti- 
mate with  him  myself." 

"Never  set  eyes  on  him,"  said  Twigg,  *'  but  for  all  that,  am  anxious  to 
treat  his  remains  with  strict  assiduity  and  attention,  and  indeed  any  connec- 
tion in  the  same  line;  and  that's  more  than  I  could 'say  twenty  years  ago. 
It  was  all  up  hill  then,  and  hving  from  hand  to  mouth,  and  even  my  own 
three  first  children,  God  forgive  me,  I  could  not  afford  to  fret  for ;  but  now 
I  'm  a  man  of  property,  I  feel  for  every  jody,  and  was  at  a  neighbour's  funeral 
only  last  week.  He  died  worth  a  plum,  if  he  was  worth  a  penny,  and  kept 
his  carriage.  I  remember  his  pole  though,  before  he  had  a  pair  of  horses  to 
it,  and  good  reason  why,  for  it  was  nothmg  but  a  barber's. 

The  entrance  of  supper  put  an  end  to  these  excursions  of  memory  up  the 
stream  of  time,  a  stream  which  Twigg  was  fond  of  ascending  against  the 
tide,  with  the  wilfulness  and  velocity  of  a  steamer.  With  all  his  seeming 
lowliness,  he  had  at  bottom  a  deal  of  the  devil's  "darling  sin,"  "the  pride 
that  apes  humility."  Out  of  nothing,  it  is  written,  God  created  the  world, 
and  as  out  of  nothing  Twigg  had  created  some  thirty  thousand  pounds,  he 
considered  himself  as  a  sort  of  Deity,  who  had  wrought  a  miracle.  In  short, 
he  liked  to  insist  on  his  own  littleness  originally,  in  order  to  enhance  his  ap- 
parent magnitude  when  viewed  afterwards  through  the  solar  microscope  of 
success ;  a  flea  as  it  were  magnified  by  thirty  thousand  into  the  proportions 
of  an  elephant.  To  do  him  justice,  he  had  made  his  way  by  industry  and 
ingenuity,  and  was  entitled  to  blazon  them  if  he  liked  as  his  supporters,  in- 
stead of  "  two  salvages  proper,"  or  a  brace  of  grifiins :  but  he  did  not  suffi- 
ciently consider  whether  a  retired  barber  might  choose  to  be  stirred  up  by 
his  own  pole,  or  an  ex- waiter  to  have  it  always  rung  in  his  ears,  that  he  had 
been  brought  up  on  Bell's  system. 

"  Very  fine  lads,  upon  my  word,"  he  remarked,  as  Ringwood,  Raby,  and 
the  Creole,  took  their  seats  at  the  supper-table,  "  and  it  will  be  their  own 
faults  if  they  don't  shine  in  life.  When  I  was  of  your  age,  young  gentle- 
men," he  added,  addressing  the  boys,  "  I  used  to  run  of  errands  and  black 
shoes,  and  walked  to  London  with  only  a  shilling  in  my  pocket,  to  seek 
my  fortune  ;  and  now  here  I  am,  a  man  of  property,  and  a  common-council 
man  besides.  Not  a  bad  example,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  to  be  set 
before  the  rising  generation.  I  often  think  my  own  life  and  rise  in  the 
world  would  make  as  good  a  history  for  young  persons  as  Dick  Whitting- 
ton's,  one  of  the  best  classical  works,  by  the  by,  in  the  English  language." 

"  But  it  might  be  better  for  all  that,"  remarked  Ringwood,  with  a  look 
of  appeal  towards  liis  father,  "  I  mean  as  to  worrying  the  rats,  for  if  the 
Black  King  gave  such  heaps  of  gold  for  a  cat,  what  wouldn't  he  have  come 
down  fo:-  a'ireen  ferret  or  two,  crossed  with  the  pole-cat,  and  a  bull-terrier 
like  Whop,  and  as  good  at  all  vermin  by  land  or  water  ?" 

"To  be  sure."  answered  the  Baronet,  "  Wliop  is  worth  his  weight  in 
^old  —  always  goes  at  the  head,  and  you  may  chew  his  foot  like  tobacco 


S8  TYI.NET    HALL. 

before  he'll  let  go,  whether  of  a  badijer  or  a  Cliristian.  I  remember  the  grip 
he  took  of  Black  Will  the  poacher," — but  before  the  story  could  come  off, 
the  supper  party  was  suddenly  alarmed  by  a  bustle  over  head,  followed  by 
shrieks  so  shrill  and  incessant,  from  the  chamber  of  death,  tiiat  for  a  long 
minute  each  individual  stared  at  his  neighbour  as  mute  and  motionless  as 
a  stag  at  gaze.  At  last,  snatching  a  candle,  the  baronet  rushed  up  the 
staircase,  followed  by  the  others,  Twigg,  at  every  step,  as  became  a  man 
of  property,  bellowing  out,  "  Thieves!  thieves!  tliieves  !" 


CHAPTER  XL 

"  Noe  doubt  manie  livings  persnnes,  both  raenne  and  womenne,  have  seen  ye  Devilla 
bodilie,  beinge  like  unto  oue  hugeous  blaclc  gote,  wiih  nornis  and  taile." 

King  James  I. 

Ok  entering  the  bedchamber,  the  screaming  was  found  to  proceed  from 
the  dairy-maid  and  laundry-woman.  Both  had  thrown  their  aprons  over 
their  heads,  and  each  had  backed  her  cbair  against  the  opposite  wall, 
through  which  she  seemed  endeavou"ing  to  force  it  by  convulsive  efforts  of 
her  legs  and  feet,  while  with  desperate  energy  her  hands  clung  to  the 
mahogany  elbows,  as  if  in  resistance  of  human  or  superhuman  abduction. 

"  Skreek,  Peggy,  skreek,"  panted  the  laundress,  her  own  breath  being 
just  exhausted  by  a  sostenuto  on  D  in  alt ;  and  accordingly  Peggy  shrieked 
with  a  shrillness  and  perseverance,  that  even  a  stuck  pig  would  have  stuck  at; 
and  when  her  voice  failed,  the  other  took  it  up,  like  the  celebrated  echo  at 
Killarney,  which  always  outdoes  its  original. 

"In  the  name  of  God,  wench,"  said  the  Baronet,  seizing  the  dairy-maid 
by  the  arm,  "what  game's  afoot  to  raise  such  a  view  halloo?"  but  before 
she  could  compose  a  sentence,  fear  distributed  it  all  into  pie,  as  a  printer 
would  say,  by  shaking  every  word  and  syllable  from  each  other. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  devil,"  cried  Twigg,  carefully  imitating  the  Baronet's 
movements,  by  seizing  the  arm  of  the  laundress,  "  what's  the  meaning  of 
this  rumpus  ?'  but  tlie  two  maidens  continued  to  squall  against  each  other 
as  if  for  a  wager ;  and  when  Sir  Mark,  and  then  Twigg,  successively 
plucked  away  an  apron,  they  saw  eyes  resolutely  screwed  together,  as  if 
they  were  never  again  to  unclose,  and  mouths  as  obstinately  wide  open  as 
if  they  were  never  more  to  shut. 

"  Confound  your  squalling,"  cried  Sir  Mark,  "it 's  like  hawk  and  hern, 
striving  wliich  shall  go  highest  —  you  could  not  yell  more  if  you'd  unken- 
neled the  devil  himself." 

"  Don't  neame  his  neame,"  said  the  terrified  Peggy,  with  a  shuddering 
groan  like  the  low  neighing  of  a  horse,  "  he 's  been  in  this  very  room  —  o|ily 
a  minute  ago,  and  mayn't  be  no  great  ways  off  this  blessed  moment." 

"  I  '11  take  my  gospel  oath  on  it,"  asseverated  the  laundress,  "  on  my  own 
bended  knees  —  with  two  horns  and  a  tail  —  and  as  soot  black  as  the 
chimbley  back.  One  thing  I  'm  sure  on,"  she  added  sobbing,  "  he's  none 
o'  my  raising.  God  forgive  me  for  sayin  so,  but  I  do  n't  know  my  prayers 
well  enough  to  say  'em  back'ards.  As  for  sin  and  wickedness,  except 
looking  in  on  a  cousin  or  so  on  Sundays,  instead  of  going  to  church,  or 
may  be  the  vally  of  a  pint  of  strong  ale,  or  being  a  little  charitable  with  the 
torn  linen,  or  on  a  chance  time  lending  the  master's  shirts  to  be  dirtied  out 
by  the  footman  —  " 

"  Or  obUging  a  poor  man's  pig  with  a  little  skim  milk,"  whimpered 
Peggy,  "  or  a  lone  widow's  hen  with  a  sitting  o'  eggs  —  the  Lord  be  near  us 
if  we  're  to  go  to  the  pit  for  such  as  that !" 


TYLNEY    HALL.  39 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know  why  he  should  come  to  /ms,"  blubbered  the 
laundress,   "  any  more  nor  the  cook  and  butler." 

"  A  likely  story  truly,"  said  the  baronet,  getting  impatient,  "  what  the 
devil  should  the  devil  come  here  for?  the  brace  o'  you  isn't  worth  his 
fetchinc.     He  'd  hardly  go  a  bat-fowling  for  a  couple  of  screech-owls." 

"  Saving  your  honour's  presence,"  said  Peggy,  with  a  reverential  curtsey, 
*'your  honour  in  course  knows  best.  It's  like  enough  the  Wicked  One 
do  n't  demean  himself  to  come  arter  the  like  of  us  poor  sarvants,  when  there  's 
a  dead  gentleman  in  the  room.  For  sartin  he  did  antic  about  the  coffin 
very  fearsome,  and  seemed  to  make  much  on  it —  but  the  Lord  be  near  us," 
she  ejaculated  in  a  loud  whisper,"  there  he  is  again,"  —  an  announcement 
the  laundress  took  so  promptly,  that  before  he  was  avyare  she  had  clutched 
Twiwg  by  the  arm,  and  was  hurrying  him  down  stairs  three  steps  at  a  time, 
to  thelmminent  risk  of  his  neck.  In  fact,  following  the  direction  of  Peggy's 
eyes,  Sir  Mark  plainly  perceived  a  black  head  peeping  from  behind  a  bed- 
curtain,  an  apparition  so  totally  unexpected,  that  for  some  moments,  the 
spectators  were  all  as  much  confounded  as  if  the  Deuce  had  actually  turned 
up.  At  last,  uttering  a  word  of  recognition,  the  young  Creole  advanced 
boldly  to  the  bed,  and  dragging  forward  a  black  footman  in  a  new  suit  of 
sables,  began  to  kick  and  cuff  him  with  a  freedom  which  does  not  yet  belong 
to  this  land  of  liberty.  Black  or  white,  Sir  Mark  could  not  endure  to  see  a 
man  so  buffeted  by  a  stripling,  and  he  began  to  interfere  with  some  stern- 
ness, when  the  poor  Ne2ro  himself  interceded  for  the  offender,  with  an 
excuse  more  worthy  of  a  Christian  than  a  Heathen. 

"  Nebber  mind,"  he  said,  "  me  berry  glad  to  see  him  face.  When  Massa 
Walter  a  piccanniny,  him  bite  and  scratch  Pompey  worse  dan  dat;  nebber 
mind.  Him  larrup  Pompey  ebbery  day  of  him  life  in  San  Kitts.  Gorramity 
bless  him  !  me  'long  to  Massa  Tvvigg  now  Sare,  but  beforetimes  me  'long 
to  Massa  Curnel  Tyrrell  —  Gorramity  bless  him,  too.     Oh  ki !" 

It  appeared  on  explanation,  that  Pompey  had  formerly  been  a  black  unit 
in  the  West  Indian  establishment  of  the  deceased,  but  after  passing  through 
various  hands,  he  had  come  into  the  possession  of  our  citizeri,  through  a 
will  and  testament  by  which  Fortune  had  knocked  down  to  him  the  auc- 
tion-like lot  of  five  thousand  pounds,  the  surname  of  Twigg,  and  a  Nigger. 
The  affectionate  African  having  learnt  below  stairs  the  pedigree  of  the  corse, 
and  taking  advantage  of  a  quiet  round  game,  set  on  foot  in  the  kitchen  by 
the  undertaker's  man,  had  crept  stealthily  to  indulge  in  a  last  look,  and  a 
last  '•  talkee  talkee"  with  his  old  master,  to  the  signal  discomfiture  of  his 
new  one. 

"  It 's  very  hard,"  said  the  latter,  as  he  re-entered  the  room,  "  that  a  man 
like  me  can't  have  a  black  footman,  as  well  as  other  people  of  property, 
without  being  deviled  down  strange  stairs  by  a  long-legged  washerwoman, 
into  the  very  kitchen,  among  common  domestic  menial  servants,  coachman, 
ani  footman,  and  what  nof—  not  quite  the  thing  for  one  of  the  Livery. 
Pompey,  you  sir,  mind  your  manners,  and  do  n't  stand  grinning  at  Sir  Mark 
Tyrrell,  Baronet.  Make  yourself  scarce  !  I 'm  very  sorry,  I'm  sure,  to 
cause  such  a  kick  up  in  a  respectable  house,  but  it's  all  through  that 

d d  block  man ;  and,  says  you,  the  Green  Man  too,  for  not  giving  me 

a  bed." 

"  Take  it  easy,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  and  overlook  the  black  —  rny  own 
jades  were  in  fault  to  cackle  so  over  a  mare's  nest.  To  be  sure,  if  the 
wenches  had  sworn  to  a  crowned  king  in  a  green  hunting  coat,  with  a 
horn,  and  so  forth,  and  a  broad  arrow  in  the  right  place,  I  don't  know  if 
1  'd  have  gone  mto  the  room  myself  without  a  little  cranins  — but  I'll  tell 
you  that  story  at  our  next  meet,  or  there'll  be  but  a  cold  scent  on  the 
supper  table.  As  it  is,  our  pullets  won't  be  a  bit  hotter  for  having  been 
deviled.     But  the  devil  has  little  to  do  with  the  hke  of  him,'"  he  added, 


40  TYLNEY   HALL.  . 

approachinc;;  thn  coffin  ;  and  removing  the  lid,  he  first  patted  the  marble 
check,  and  then  kis?ed  the  brow  of  the  corpse. 

"  As  I  may  some  day  be  sheriff,"  said  Twigg  to  himself,  as  in  a  dramatic 
aside,  **  it 's  as  well  to  accustom  myself  to  death  wherever  I  can,"  and 
accordingly  he  phced  himself  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  coffin,  and  began 
to  look  on  its  tenant  so  earnestly,  as  to  persuade  the  good-natured  Baronet 
that  he  was  one  of  the  most  feehng  and  sympathizing  friends  be  had  ever 
known. 

A  burst  of  grief,  however,  from  the  Creole  at  the  sight  of  his  parent,  in- 
terrupted their  very  different  meditations,  and  considerately  replacing  the 
coffin  hd,  the  uncle  led  his  nephew  down  to  the  supper  table,  followed  rea- 
dily by  Twigg,  whose  stomach  had  come  to  a  proper  sense  of  the  empti- 
ness of  this  life.  He  did  not  indeed  omit  dropping  something  about  poor 
man's  sauce,  having  been  a  poor  man  himself,  and  he  appropriately  ate  like 
one  who  had  known  what  it  is  to  want  a  meal,  M'ashing  it  down  after- 
wards like  a  man  who  had  known  what  it  is  to  want  four  glasses  of  brandy 
and  water. 

"I  am  an  early  bird,"  he  said,  towards  one  o'clock,  "and  must  go  to 
roost.  Sir  Mark  T}'rrell,  Baronet,  I  beg  to  say  good-night,  and  the  same 
to  the  young  gentlemen,  and  hope  they  will  sedulously  cultivate  early 
habits,  as  the  unvarying  means  of  getting  up  in  the  world.  For  my  part, 
I'm  never  called,  but  wake  at  six,  as  regular  as  clock-work —  but,  says 
you,  a  man  knows  how  to  rise  from  his  b  ed  that  has  risen  from  nothing." 
So  saying,  he  seized  his  candlestick,  and  the  party  separated  for  the 
night. 

On  the  morrow  the  tomb  closed  over  the  remainsof  Herbert  Tyrrell.  As 
the  old  ballad  laconically  says,  "  the  knell  was  rung,  and  the  dirge  was 
sung,"  and  the  mourners  departed  ;  not  a  little  disappointed  at  his  leaving 
only  some  personal  property,  and  many  were  much  scandalized,  that  even 
this  was  bequeathed  to  a  natural  son,  the  offspring  of  a  woman  of  colour, 
and  most  hkely,  but  half  a  Christian.  Twigg,  however,  protested  "that  a 
man  of  his  means  need  not  to  go  about  gaping  after  godsends  and  wind- 
falls, and  for  his  own  part,  he  must  say,  what  with  a  sniff  of  country  air* 
and  a  relax  from  business,  and  the  pleasant  prospects,  and  the  good  cheer, 
and  a  hearty  welcome,  and  above  all,  the  very  polite,  civil  urbanity  of  Sir 
Mark  Tyrrell,  Baronet,  he  must  say,  allowing  for  the  melancholy  occasion, 
and  the  ruck  in  his  back  from  skurrying  down  such  a  noble  flight  of  stairs, 
it  was  altogether  one  of  the  pleasantest  days  he  had  ever  spent  since  he  was 
independent." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Look  here  upon  this  picture,  and  on  this  ; 
The  counterfeit  presentment  of  two  brothers. 


Hamlet. 


Give  me  leave 


To  enjoy  myself:  that  place  that  does  contain 
My  bool<s,  the  best  companions,  is  to  me 
A  glorious  court,  where  hourly  I  converse 
With  the  old  sages  and  philosophers. 

The  Elder  Brother. 

Time,  the  soother  of  all  sorrows,  was  not  slow  in  healing  the  wound  in- 
flicted on  the  Baronet,  by  his  brother's  death.  By  degrees  he  resumed  the 
sports  of  the  field,  and  especially  the  chase,  intc  which  Ringwood  entered 
with  such  zeal,  that  not  contented  with  doing  as  his  father  did  before  him, 


TTLNEY    HALL.  4l 

he  sometimes  contrived  to  leave  the  old  2:entleman  behind  him,  to  the  infi- 
nite delight  of  Dick  the  huntsman,  to  wliom,  as  Filch  ?ays,  "  he  was  in- 
debted for  his  edication.  The  irrevcrend  Dick  Doughty,  indeed,  took  far 
more  pleasure  in  his  pupil  than  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Burdock, 
who  had  undertaken  to  prepare  the  young  gentleman  for  the  University.^ 
The  reason  might  be  that  in  Dick's  equestrian  school,  Rin^wood  always 
did  his  own  exercise,  whereas  in  the  doctor's  classical  academy,  it  was  too 
often  done  for  him  by  others.  Dick  reported  his  scholar  as  d  — d  fast,  and 
one  as  would  go  at  anything-."  The  Doctor  that  he  was  '•  deplorably  slow, 
and  did  not  take  to  any  one  branch  of  learning."  The  huntsman  swore 
that  he  had  "  the  best  seat  on  a  horse,  and  the  lightest  hand,  in  the  whole 
country  :  and  he  looked  on  the  next  hunter's  plate  as  good  as  booked  to 
him."  The  pedagogue  lamented  to  say,  he  had  "  the  worst  head  for  the 
classics  and  mathematics  he  ever  knew,  and  indeed  he  should  not  be  very 
much  surprised  if  he  got  plucked  at  College."  Even  the  partial  parent  con- 
fessed at  times,  that  Ringwood  deserved  "  to  be  well  horsed  for  learning  so 
little,"  at  the  same  time  taking  liberal  care  to  horse  himwell,  on  thorough- 
bred ones,  because  he  hunted  so  much.  This  censure,  however,  never  es- 
caped Sir  Mark,  but  when  he  was  a  little  splenetic,  under  a  fit  of  the  sout. 
Indeed,  on  one  occasion,  when  the  sporting  Vicar,  Dr.  Cobb,  thought  proper 
to  sound  the  depths  of  the  young  'Squire's  Latin,  as  they  waited  the  find 
together  by  the  cover  side,  the  Baronet  took  it  in  some  dudgeon  :  though 
he  said  notliing,  till  in  running,  Ringwood  cleared  a  stiff  fence,  which  no  one 
else  would  take,  whereupon  Sir  Mark  pulled  his  horse  alongside  the  hack 
of  the  Doctor,  shouting  out,  with  all  the  ecstasy  of  a  fox-hunter,  "  There, 
Parson  ;  damme,  could  Cicero  do  that!  !" 

The  Creole,  also,  or  St.  Kitts,  as  he  was  familiarly  nicknamed  by  Sir 
Mark,  from  the  place  of  his  birth,  continued  likewise  to  grow  in  favour  with 
his  uncle,  through  the  skill  he  displayed  in  hunting,  fowling,  and  fishing ;  but 
with  a  deep  chagrin,  amounting  at  times  to  bitterness,  the  Baronet  observed 
the  decided  aversion  of  Raby  to  all  such  pursuits.  At  the  age  of  sixteen, 
he  could  neither  clear  a  hurdle,  bring  down  his  bird,  nor  throw  a  fly  for  a 
trout ;  in  short,  he  was  awfully  backward  in  his  sporting.  Thanks  to  the 
reducing  system  of  Dr.  Bellamy,  who  always  found  in  "the  lowest  depths, 
a  lower  still,"  he  had  undergone  in  his  boyhood  a  long  and  languishing  ill- 
ness, which  had  rendered  him  incapable  of  bodily  exertion :  being  thus 
thrown  on  his  own  resources  for  amusement,  he  had  taken  eagerly  to  read- 
ins,  and  an  extensive  old  family  hbrary  supplied  this  appetite  with  plenty 
as  well  as  variety  of  food.  His  especial  favourites,  however,  were  ihe  old 
English  dramatists  and  poets,  whose  most  golden  passages  he  got  by  heart, 
or  rather  by  soul.  Absorbed  in  such  studies,  in  which  neither  his  father  nor 
his  brother  could  sympathize,  he  became  a  sort  of  domestic  anchorite,  \vor- 
shipping  his  own  idols  in  secret,  with  the  more  fervour,  because  of  the  per- 
secution he' endured  on  their  account.  At  last,  through  the  good  nursing 
of  Mistress  Deborah,  who  wisely  thought  and  said,  "  that  a  growing  young 
—  ijentleman  could'nt  get  fat  — on  physic  and  a  fig  —  for  Dr.  Bellamy"  — 
R-aby  recovered  his  strength  and  flesh ;  but  he  neglected  the  stable  and 
dog-kennel  as  much  as  ever.  His  passion  for  letters  had  now  overgrown 
and  choked  his  taste  for  the  chase,  if  he  ever  had  any,  and  probably  he  felt  it 
too  late  to  begin  to  ground  himself  in  the  mere  ABC  of  those  rural  arts  and 
sciences  in  which  his  own  contemporaries  were  already  proficients.  "  Ig- 
norance is  bliss,"  where  knowlcdjie  is  only  to  be  obtained  by  the  scholar's 
going,  looby-like,  to  a  school  for  adults.  Besides,  sickness  and  personal 
suffering  harl  subdued  his  nature  into  unusual  gentleness,  and  with  a  tone 
of  feeling  of  extreme  tenderness,  indeed  an  almost  overwrought  sensibility, 
he  had  become  sensitively  abhorrent  of  man's  inflictions  on  the  lower  ani- 
mals, holding  us  strictly  bound,  according-  to  the  poet,  — 


42  TTLNET  HALL. 

"  Never  to  blend  our  pleasure  or  our  pride 
With  sorrow  of  the  meanest  thing  that  feels." 

*'  For  my  part,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  I  can't  think  where  the  boy  got  it  — 
his  dear  mother,  God  rest  her  soul !  was  the  best  horse-woman  in  Christen- 
dom :  —  many  a  time  the  knife's  been  offered  to  her  to  take  say.  But  tell 
Raby  of  a  stag  of  ten  tines,  and  he  'II  open  about  Shakspeare,  and  the  big 
round  tears  running  down  his  innocent  nose,  as  il'it  wasn't  the  natur  of  the 
beast  to  cry  like  a  human  creature.  Not  that  I  would'nt  as  soon  as  any 
one  or}'  hark  to  humanity,  only  it's  just  not  the  time  for  it,  when  Titjer  and 
Terrible  are  hanging  at  his  throat.  Pity's  all  very  well,  provided  it's  the 
genuine  milk  of  human  kindness,  but  it's  often  too  like  the  London-made 
stuff,  nothing  but  chalk  and  water.  Why  zounds,  boy,  if  you  were  even 
training  for  the  church,  there'd  be  no  harm  in  your  ha\dng  a  gallop  with  the 
hounds  ;  I  remember  the  time  Dr.  Cobb  never  missed  a  meet  of  the  hunt,  and 
he  often  comes  now  to  see  them  find,  though  he's  grown  too  fat  and  corpu- 
lent to  enjoy  a  burst." 

To  such  remarks  from  his  father,  Raby  made  little  or  no  reply  ;  but  when 
Ringwood  ventured  a  sneer  at  what  he  called  the  milksop  amusements  of 
his  brother,  the  latter  always  retorted  with  much  spirit  and  point  on  certain 
deficiencies,  which  would  have  subjected  the  young  Nimrod  to  the  old  birch 
rod  of  Dr.  Busby.  These  little  differences  between  the  brothers  might  ge- 
nerally be  regarded  as  merely  boxing  with  the  mufRes  on  ;  bvit  as  even  this 
kind  of  sparring  is  attended  with  some  danger  to  the  temper,  it  occasionally 
ended  in  a  quarrel  in  earnest.  This  result  was  always  aggravated  by  the 
injudicious  interference  of  the  Creole,  which  only  served  to  protract  a  battle 
into  a  campaign,  as  a  duel  between  two  game-cocks  is  sometimes  prolonged 
by  the  untimely  interposition  of  a  third. 

Fort:xample,  —  Gingerpile  is  down  on  the  broad  of  his  back,  with  his 
head  awry,  and  looking  like  trussing.  He  gapes  wider  than  a  young  black- 
bird before  breakfast,  and  his  bloody  comb  resembles  a  bit  of  underdone 
steak,  when  the  cook  says  "  it's  only  the  gravy."  Red  stands  staggering 
and  swaggering  over  him,  mustering  all  the  breath  in  his  crop  for  a  crow, 
but  the  crop  has  had  a  spur  through  it,  yet  that  he  is  the  victor  he  knows, 
and  looks  knowingly  with  only  one  eye  on  the  vanquished.  All  the  Poul- 
try to  Chick  Lane  is  the  odds  on  him,  when  suddenly  Blackhackle  unfairly 
Btrikes  in,  on  his  blind  side,  and  with  a  flirt,  giving  Red  a  fair  back  fall,  ena- 
bles Gingerpile  to  sret  second  wind,  and  flare  up  again  like  a  phoenix.  Ac- 
cordingly he  scrambles  on  his  legs,  and  after  a  little  game  of  see-saw 
between  his  bead  and  tail,  he  accomplishes  a  roupy  chuckle,  which,  unlike 
cockcrows  in  general,  seems  to  recall  the  ghost  of  Red,  who  rises  and  walks. 
At  it  they  go  again  :  but  after  exchanging  a  bushel  of  pecks,  at  last  faintly 
billing  like  pigeons,  they  feebly  lay  their  necks  by  turns  over  each  other, 
as  if  hate  had  degenerated  into  love.  Gingerpile  is  now,  however  the  fresh- 
est, and  makes  a  rush  at  Red,  who  ducks  his  head  to  avoid  punishment, 
and  attempts  to  walk  away  between  the  other's  legs,  when  he  gets  such  a 
spur  right  and  left,  that  he  is  fain  to  tuck  his  legs  under  him,  and  lay  his 
breast  to  the  earth,  as  if  brooding  a  batch  of  chickens.  He  is  evidently  done 
otit  of  the  championship,  or  at  least  he  would  be  done  out  of  it,  but  for  the 
abominable  Blackhackle,  who,  like  the  king-making  Earl  of  Warwick, 
takes  fresh  offence  at  the  sovereignty  of  Gingerpile.  With  a  dig  some- 
where near  the  root  of  the  tail  feathers,  he  sends  him  to  wriggle  about  the 
yard  till  Red  is  ready  for  another  round  ;  and  in  this  manner  the  contest  is 
da-capo'd  from  hour  to  hour,  and  from  day  to  day,  to  the  perpetual  disquiet 
of  the  yard. 

Even  thus  did  the  Creole  revive  a  drooping  argument  by  some  unseason- 
able fling  at  its  antagonist,  which  he  was  well  enabled  to  do  by  the  diver- 


TTLNET   HALL.  4S 

sity  of  his  own  taste,  for  he  frequented  the  covers  w'  ich  lodged  authors,  as 
wallas  those  that  harboured  foxes.  According  by  these  discussions,  by  the 
help  of  Jack-of-both-sides,  generally  ended  as  drawn  games,  which  were  to 
be  renewed  between  the  parties  at  the  first  opportunity.  It  was  impossible, 
however,  that  such  subjects  of  dispute  should  remain  in  abeyance  so  long, 
without  engendering  some  degree  of  asperity,  so  that  sharp  words  and  sud- 
den heat  sometimes  arose  on  questions  which  had  but  a  remote  reference, 
if  any,  to  literature  or  sporting. 

Possibly  the  Creole,  who  did  not  agree  over  well  with  either  of  his  cou- 
sins, was  not  displeased  secretly  to  see  them  differ  a  little  with  each  other, 
especially  as  it  helped  to  avenge  a  personal  grudge  which  he  entertained 
against  both.  Boys,  in  the  reckless  levity  of  their  mirth,  have  a  proneness 
to  satire,  which  is  apt  to  select  personal  defects  or  peculiarities  as  butts  for 
raillery  and  ridicule.  Prompted  by  this  spirit,  Ringwood  and  Raby,  in 
common  with  their  schoolfellows,  had  set  their  wits  against  the  Creole,  or 
rather  his  complexion,  a  subject  on  which  he  was  as  sensitive,  as  if  he  had 
been  without  a  skin.  A  pitched  battle  with  each  of  the  "  pale  faces"  was 
the  consequence,  wherein,  to  adopt  the  language  of  coursing,  Creole  beat 
Raby,  and  Ringwood  beat  Creole;  Ringwood  thereby  establishino:  his  right 
to  use  the  obnoxious  nickname  of  Gip,  (the  short  for  Gipsy,)  which  had 
given  rise  to  the  contest.  It  must  be  remembered,  that  St.  Kitts  descended 
by  his  mother's  side  at  least  from  those  "souls  of  fire  and  children  of  the 
sun,  with  whom  revenge  is  virtue."  It  is  highly  probable,  therefore,  that 
his  defeat  and  the  offence  of  the  provoking  soubriquet  rankled  in  his  mind 
long  after  its  origin  ;  but  he  buried  it,  like  Zanga,  in  his  "  heart  of  hearts," 
for  his  outward  bearing  to  his  cousins  was  frank  and  ooen,  and  accompa- 
nied with  much  profession  and  actual  appearance  of  affection.  Neverthe- 
less, it  never  amounted  to  that  absolute  cordiality  which  obtains  between 
natures  thoroughly  congenial.  There  is  a  mysterious  instinct  within  us, 
which  unerringly  guides  the  soul  in  its  selection  of  a  true  friend,  and  neither 
with  Ringwood,  nor  with  Raby,  did  this  secret  impulse  point  towards  the 
West  Indian,  as  one  to  be  "  grappled  to  the  heart  with  hooks  of  steel." 

"  I  would  thank  you,  Ringwood,"  said  the  Creole  one  day  to  his  elder 
cousin,  who  had  just  been  Gip-ping  him,  "I  would  thank  you,  Ringwood, 
to  remember  that  I  have  a  Christian  name  and  a  surname,  as  well  as  your- 
self. I  have  put  up  hitherto,  with  the  contemptuous  syllable  you  have  been 
pleased  to  call  me  by,  as  a  boyish  impertinence  ;  but  now  that  we  are  on 
the  eve  of  going  to  college  together,  I  must  inform  you  that  I  shall  look  for 
a  more  suitable  mode  of  address.  I  shall  certainly  consider  myself  entitled 
to  be  called  Walter,  or  at  least  any  legitimate  abbreviation  of  that  name 
you  may  choose  to  adopt." 

"  I  have  never  disputed  the  h;rUimacy  of  your  Walter,  or  your  Tyrrel 
either,  with  or  without  abbreviations,"  retorted  Ringv/ood,  whose  temper 
was  a  little  turned,  by  his  having  been  thrown  out  in  hunting.  "  And  as 
we  are  going  to  college,  where  of  course  you  will  give  me  the  go  by,  I  in- 
tended to  drop  Gip  of  my  own  accord,  as  it  miglit  not  come  weli,  hereafter, 
from  plain  Ringwood  Tyrrrl  to  an  LL.D." 

"  If  your  emphasis  on  le<iitimate,"  returned  the  Creole  hastily,  "implies 
any  unworthy  allusion  to  my  birth,  I  will  only  remind  you,  that  the  impu- 
tation touches  your  uncle,  as  well  as  my  father,  and  le  ive  your  heart  to  its 
own  reproach." 

"  I  meant  no  offence,  St.  Kitts,"  said  the  really  nood-hearted  Pcinofwood, 
"and  am  sorry  if  you've  been  wr\ing  —  come,  shake  hands,  and  burn  the 
stUQ-book  !  As  it  touches  you  on  the  raw,  if  I  call  you  Gip  again,  I  give  you 
leave  to  call  me  Flincher  in  the  face  of  the  whole  field." 

The  Creole  took  the  hand  tliat  was  proffered,  or  rather  he  suffered  hi« 
own  to  be  taken  by  it,  for  as  the  itrammatical  Dr.  Burdock  would  have  ob- 


44  TTLNET    HALL. 

served,  to  shake  hands  was  with  one  a  verb  active,  and  with  the  other  a 
verb  passive.  And  thus  ended  a  quarrel,  that  Ringvvood  instantly  forgot, 
but  the  sting  of  which  his  cousin  preserved,  and  hermetically  sealed  up  like 
a  serpent  in  spirits. 

The  month  following  this  skirmish,  the  trio  departed  for  Oxford,  a  change 
of  much  indifference  to  the  Creole,  of  considerable  gratification  to  Raby, 
and  prodigious  vexation  to  Ringwood  ;  when  he  discovered  that  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  Alma  Mater  were  very  much  the  same  in  spirit  with  the  no- 
tice so  commonly  set  forth  at  the  gates  o'  the  public  gardens  round  the  Mo« 
tropohs :  namely — 

"XO  DOGS  OR  PATTENS  ADMITTED." 


CHAPTER  Xlir. 

*'  Since  I  mounted  on  the  towers  of  pride  and  ambition,  my  soul  has  been  invaded 
by  a  thousand  miseries,  and  a  thousand  toils,  and  four  thousand  disquiets." 

Sancho  Panza. 

Before  the  young  Collegians  had  been  gone  a  week.  Sir  Mark  began  to 
feel  very  dull  and  lonely,  especially  as  his  gout  had  set  in  again  with  a  rig- 
our which  threatened  to  outlast  the  remainder  of  the  hunting  season.  Laid 
up  in  an  easy  chair,  with  his  two  supporters  couchant  instead  of  rampant, 
he  had  many  long  hours  for  reflection  ;  even  his  friends  who  wore  the  but- 
ton of  the  hunt,  being  a  little  apt  to  neglect  him,  when  he  was  incapable  of  a 
run,  regarding  him  in  much  the  same  light  as  a  fox  who  had  been  lamed  in 
a  gin.  In  this  dilemma,  his  thoughts  naturally  looked  forward  to  the  period 
when  age  and  infirmity  might  withdraw  him  permanently  from  the  field, 
and  he  began  to  calculate  on  his  future  situation  with  all  its  contingencies. 

"In  the  course  of  nature,"  he  soliloquized,  "the  short  breath  of  poor  bro- 
ken-winded old  Deborah  won't  last  out  many  winters,  though  she  has  been 
taken  up  from  hard  work,  but  age  won't  be  denied.  She  has  been  a  good 
one  in  her  day,  and  I  shall  have  a  heavy  miss  of  her  when  it  comes  to  a 
mort — for  let  alone  her  capital  tooling  of  the  whole  team  of  servants,  she's 
the  only  hedge  I  have  against  Dr.  Bellamy,  who's  too  fond  of  shortening  my 
feeds,  and  taking  me  off  hard  meat  to  put  me  upon  mashes.  God  knows 
what  I  shall  do  when  I  come  to  be  gouty  for  good,  or  may  be  bedridden 
and  dead-foundered  towards  the  finish.  It  wouldn't  be  a  bad  cast  to  scribble 
a  line  or  two  to  sister  Kate,  and  get  her  to  run  a  trail  to  Tylney  Hall,  to 
take  the  lead  of  the  house  like,  and  be  the  whipper-in  to  the  maids.  Be- 
sides, the  boys  by  and  by  will  be  leaving  college,  and  will  want  to  be  pair- 
ing for  life,  and  to  be  looking  out  among  the  young  misses,  but  the  devil  a 
young  lady  will  come  to  the  Hall,  now  there's  no  females  to  visit.  Kateia 
a  gentlewoman,  and  well  bred,  though  I've  known  even  a  raw-boned  crib- 
biting  old  jade  of  an  aunt  with  a  devilish  pain  in  her  temper,  a  good  deal 
backed  by  young  girls,  provided  there  were  some  handsome  blood-like  look- 
ing colts  of  nephews  in  the  same  stable.  By  the  by,  I  wonder  that  Grace 
Rivers  never  shows  now  at  the  Hall,  where  she  was  always  first  favourite. 
D — n  the  Paragon  filly  for  dying,  for  I  meant  to  have  named  her  after 
Grace.  Egad,  I  should  like  to  see  Ringwood  riding  a  steeple  chase  to 
Tylney  church,  and  her  little  white  hand  to  go  to  the  winner.  The  old 
Justice's  lands  join  ours,  and  it  would  be  a  pretty  property  to  include  through 
a  marriage  in  a  ringfence." 

In  conformity  with  these  politic  calculations,  in  w]ii(;h  he  considered  he 
bad  made  up  anything  but  a  bad  book,  the  Baronet  immediately  rang  for 


TYLNKY    HALL.  45 

pen  and  ink,  anj  concocietl  a  letter  to  his  sister  in  the  north,  who  had  mar 
ried  a  Scotch  laird,  and  was  recently  become  a  widow  ;  and  what  was  still 
better  in  his  estimation,  a  widow  without  either  colt  or  tilly  to  run  whinny- 
ini.'-  after  her  heels.  The  epistle,  after  a  page  of  awkward,  but  honest  con- 
dolence, conveyed  a  pressing  invitation  to  the  relict  to  spend  the  remainder 
of  her  days  at  Tylney  Hall,  and  it  concluded  by  requesting  an  immediate 
answer,  hoping  "  she  would  not  sit  m  the  saddle  cranmg  over  the  Border, 
but  charge  it  at  once,  and  return  at  her  best  pace  to  the  seat  of  her  ances- 
tors." 

In  the  mean  time  the  Baronet  was  not  displeased  to  learn  from  Dr.  Bel- 
lamy, that  a  family  had  just  come  to  settle  in  the  vicinity,  whose  visits  pro- 
mised to  dissipate  his  ennui,  as  they  declared  themselves  to  be  distant  rela- 
tives of  the  Tyrrels. 

"I  have  been  honoured  with  the  compliment,"  said  the  Do'"tor,  "of 
being  called  in  to  the  whole  family  the  very  day  after  their  arrival.  As 
they  had  removed  from  the  metropolis  to  the  country,  by  way  of  precau- 
tion against  the  sudden  change  of  air,  I  had  the  gratification  of  prescribing 
an  alterative  for  them  all  around.  Mr.  Twigg,  indeed,  did  me  the  favour 
to  object  to  taking  anything  I  recommended,  saying,  that  a  man  who  bad 
met  with  his  changes  in  life  needn't  care  for  changes  of  air ;  but  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  persuadmg  him  to  a  pill  over  night,  and  a  draught  in  the  morn- 
ing. If  I  recollect  right,  I  had  the  happiness  of  riding  in  the  same  mourn- 
ing coach  with  him  at  the  interment  of  the  lamented  Colonel  Tyrrel  ;  and 
really  found  the  gentleman  very  agreeable  and  pleasant." 

In  fact,  Twigg,  at  the  burial  in  question,  had  become  so  enamoured  of  a 
country  life,  that  he  made  up  his  mind  to  retire  some  day  from  civic  dignity 
into  "  rural  felicity," 

"  With  a  cow,  and  a  pig,  and  a  barn  door  and  all." 

A  plan  he  now  put  in  execution  by  purchasing,  as  advertised,  "  a  large 
roomy  family  house,  with  an  extensive  walled  garden  well  stocked,  and 
about  fifty  acres  of  land,  arable  and  pasture."  Since  his  last  visit  to  the 
country,  he  had  almost  doubled  his  capital,  and  had  served  the  office  of 
Sheriff  of  London;  but  as  that  city  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  make  him  its 
Lord  Mayor,  he  determined  to  withdraw  like  Cincinnatus  to  a  Sabine 
farm.  In  choosing  the  locality  of  this  pastoral  retreat,  he  was  guided  by 
three  suggestions  ;  which,  like  the  witches  in  Macbeth,  severally  addressed 
themselves  to  his  ambition.  The  first  saluting  him  as  Timothy  Twigg, 
Esquire,  hinted  that  a  friendly  intercourse  with  the  Baronet  would  be  the 
means  of  introducing  him  to  the  best  society  in  the  country  —  no  slight 
advantage  to  a  man  who,  in  any  other  shire,  would  have  been  "  alike  un- 
knowing and  unknown."  The  second  hailing  him  as  Mr.  Sheriff  Twigg, 
reminded  him  that  there  were  such  things  as  she-riffs  of  counties ;  and  that 
there  was  no  earthly  reason  why  one  office  shouldn't  lead  to  the  other. 
And  the  third  dubbing  him  at  once,  whispered  that  the  daughter  of  Sir 
Timothy  Twigg,  Knight,  and  the  son  of  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  would 
be  as  twelvepence  to  a  shilling  with  regard  to  rank. 

With  these  views  the  prosperous  citizen  purchased  the  desirable  mansion 
called  HoUington  House,  a  name  he  thought  proper  to  alter  to  The  Hive. 
In  the  same  spirit  he  removed  the  two  eagles  volant  that  flanked  the  great 
gates,  and  substituted  a  pair  of  stone  bee-hives,  at  the  same  time  favouring 
the  sun-dial  in  the  fore  court  with  a  motto  from  Dr.  Watts,  concerning  the 
little  busy  insect  he  had  chosen  for  his  crest.  A  Latin  inscription  on  an 
ornamental  obelisk  in  the  garden  was  replaced  by  a  maxim  from  Poor 
Jtichard's  Almanack,  and  the  octagon  summer-house  was  labelled  with 
flight  out  of  the  twelve  Golden  Rules.  Indeed  he  indulged  in  this  whim 
6—3 


46  TYLNEV    HALL. 

SO  prohisely  that  the  parish  wags  took  the  hint,  and  a^ain  stood  godfathers 
for  tho  house,  to  which  they  gave  the  appropriate  name  of  "  the  House  of 
Industry." 

This  aUas  somewhat  tried  the  temper  of  Mr.  TwigL'',  who  thought  it 
very  hard  that  a  man  of  his  property  could  not  give  what  name  he  chose  to 
his  own  house,  as  well  as  to  his  own  child ;  but  his  prospect  of  "  rurai 
felicity"  began  already  to  be  obscured  by  clouds  from  other  quarters.  An 
ironmonger  does  not  necessarily  accpiire  a  knowledge  of  agriculture,  be- 
cause ploughshares,  spades,  and  sickles  are  amongst  his  items  of  com- 
merce ;  and  when  our  retired  hardwareman  turned  gentleman-farmer,  he 
found  to  his  infinite  annoyance  that  it  required  a  previous  apprenticeship 
as  much  as  any  other  business.  Ignorance  and  obstinacy  however  are  aa 
closely  united  as  the  Siatn(;se  Twins,  and  even  in  farming,  Mr.  Twigg 
chose  to  go  his  own  road,  which,  as  he  walked  in  the  dark,  was  pretty 
sure  to  be  the  wrong  one.  He  had  been  used  to  activity,  he  said,  all  his 
life,  and  could  not  sit  down  w^ilh  his  hands  before  him  and  look  on.  He 
consequently  interfered  so  pertinaciously  in  every  rural  or  domestic  act,  as 
to  realize  the  countryman's  description  of  Garrick,  "a  little  brisk  man,  as 
busy  as  a  bee,  and  on  the  stage  the  whole  time." 

He  had  notified  to  the  Baronet,  through  Dr.  Bellamy,  that  "as  gout  pre- 
vented the  honour  of  a  call  at  the  Hive,  he  intended  to  waive  ceremony  and 
drop  in  himself  at  the  Hall,  to  receive  congratulations  and  cetera  on 
coming  to  his  landed  estate."  Day  passed  after  day,  however,  without 
bringing  the  promised  visiter,  till  at  last  one  fine  morning  Sir  Mark  dis- 
solved the  Doctor's  injunction  against  horse  exercise,  and  mounting  his 
sorrel  hack,  rode  leisurely  over  to  Hollington  —  "to  see,"  as  he  said, 
"  whether  the  whole  swarm  had  not  suffocated  themselves  in  housewarming 
the  Hive." 

"  Egad,"  ejaculated  Sir  Mark,  as  he  looked  up  at  the  emblems  which 
superseded  the  old  eagles,  "his  bees  are  no  drones.  It's  well  old  Sir 
Theodore  Bowles  has  got  the  dust  in  his  eyes,  or  a  sight  like  this  would 
raise  his  hackle.  As  I  live,  too,  there 's  Pompey  the  Great,  in  sky  blue 
and  orange,  coming  to  open  the  gate.  Well,  Beelzebub,  is  your  master  at 
kennel,  or  on  the  pad,  hey  ?" 

"Maybe  iss,  maybe  no,  Sar,"  answered  Pompey,  with  a  low  bow. 
"Walk  dis  way,  Sar,"  he  continued  to  the  Baronet,  who  for  lack  of  at- 
tendance was  fain  to  cast  his  horse's  bridle  over  the  gnomon  of  the  sun- 
dial;  "walk  dis  way,  Sar,"  ushering  the  visiter  towards  the  drawing- 
room,  and  half-opening  the  door,  but  which  he  suddenly  slammed  to  again 
at  a  signal  from  a  lady  within,  of  whom  Sir  Mark  got  a  glimpse  sufficient 
to  show  tliat  she  was  busy  with  several  new  hats  and  some  yards  of  gold  lace. 

"Sar,  walk  dis  way,"  repeated  Pompey,  turning  sharp  off  to  the  left, 
"and  pray  sit  down  in  de  billard-rooni,"  at  the  same  time  throwing-the 
door  wide  open  ;  but  the  Baronet  again  retreated  of  his  own  accord,  on 
beholding  a  young  lady  partly  "uncased,"  as  he  would  have  called  it, 
who,  in  company  with  her  dressmaker,  was  too  busily  engaged  over  a  series 
of  silk  dresses  which  covered  the  billiard  table,  to  notice  the  intrusion. 

"  Beg  pardon,  Sar,  walk  dis  way,"  reiterated  the  discomfited  Pompey, 
wheeling  off  to  the  right,  "nobody  is  in  de  parlour;"  but  the  door  of  this 
Bluebeard  chamber  was  locked  on  the  inside,  and  whatever  mysterious! 
personage  was  in  the  room,  he  or  she  had  evidently  some  private  reason 
for  remaining  incog. 

In  this  dilemma  poor  Pompey  left  the  Baronet  standing  in  the  middle  ol 
the  hall,  while  he  popped  his  puzzled  head  in  at  the  door  of  the  library  to 
ask  massa  if  he  was  at  home,  the  only  answer  to  which  was  an  audible 
imprecation  on  his  black  face,  and  a  command  to  show  every  one  into  the 
drawing-room. 


TrLNEY    HALL.  47 

"Please,  massa,  dere  is  no  room  at  home  but  de  kitchen,"  whispered 
Pompey,  cautiously  reducincr  the  aperture  of  the  door  to  a  crack,  "  and  it's 
Massa  Baronet  Tyrrel:"  an  announcement  which  operated  so  electrically 
on  the  master  of  the  house  that  it  drew  him  from  his  den,  like  a  badoer.  In 
fact,  he  rushed  out  in  his  sliirt  sleeves  and  an  apron,  and  leading  Sir  Maik 
with  a  warm  welcome  into  the  library,  offered  him  the  only  chair  that  was 
vacant,  in  the  mean  time  apologizing  profusely  for  the  state  of  the  sancto- 
rum and  his  own  appearance. 

"  It's  very  ridiculous  for  a  man  of  my  property  to  be  foimd  in  this  pickle, 
but  everybody  is  obliged  now  and  then  to  be  not  at  home,  though,  says 
you,  I  ought  to  be  quite  at  home  among  so  much  hardware.  To  be  sure 
watering  pots,  and  steel-traps,  and  spades,  and  scythes,  and  other  iron- 
works isn't  quite  the  works  for  a  book-room  ;  but  1  objected  to  take  the 
old  watering  pots  and  ceterU  at  the  valuation,  and  good  reason  why,  I 
could  have  them  bran  new  for  the  money  from  my  warehouse,  and  to-day 
they've  come  down  by  the  wagon,  and  I  was  just  checking  them  by  the 
invoice." 

"  My  good  Sir,"  replied  the  Baronet,  "it's  no  fault  of  your's  if  I 've 
walked  you  up  in  moulting  time,  and  you  are  not  in  full  t'^ather.  I  've  been 
amiss  and  dead  lame  with  the  gout,  or  1  should  have  been  over  before  to 
bid  you  welcome  to  Hollington.  I  sincerely  hope  you  find  your  new  house 
to  your  liking,  and  the  air  agreeable  to  yonr  constitution." 

"Candour  compels  to  say,"  answered  Tvvigg,  his  brow  suddenly  over- 
casting as  he  spoke,  "I'm  afraid  it  do  n't.  Between  you  and  me,  I  find 
retirement  very  hard  work,  and  have  hardly  had  time  to  eat,  drink,  or  sleep, 
since  I  left  off  business.  I  never  felt  so  low  in  my  life,  and  I  've  been  as 
low  in  life  as  most  people.  But  I  mustn't  forget  my  manners  now  I  'm  a 
gentleman  :  it 's  time,  says  you,  to  go  into  the  drawing-room  and  be  intro- 
duced to  Mrs.  T. ;  I'll  be  bound  she's  waiting  for  us  with  the  cake  and 
wine."  So  saying  he  led  the  way  to  the  drawing-room,  where  they  found 
Mrs.  Twigg  playing  the  lady  at  a  short  notice.  After  the  usual  ceremo- 
nies of  presentation,  the  father  inquired  for  Miss  Twigg,  to  which  the 
mother  replied,  "  that  she  was  in  the  librarj',  studying  and  improving  her 
mind  with  the  fashionable  novels." 

"  It's  a  lie.  Madam,"  exclaimed  Twigg,  who  was  really  a  domestic  Dio- 
nysius,  "  I  've  just  come  from  the  library  myself" 

"  It 's  really  a  pity,  Mr.  T.,"  replied  the  wife,  taking  the  epithet  as  calmly 
as  if  she  was  used  to  it,  "  that  you  let  your  temper  be  ruffled  so  by  them 
servants.  I  hope  there 's  no  harm,  in  not  knowing  exactly  where  Miss 
Twigg  is,  considering  up  to  this  very  minute  I  've  been  engaged  in  the 
garden  —  showing  the  gardener  where  he's  to  sow  the  rose-bushes,  and 
plant  the  mignionnetfe." 

"  Then  Pompey  's  a  liar  any  how,  for  he  told  me  you  were  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, gold-banding  the  servants'  hats."  And  with  this  which  he  called 
a  clencher,  Twigg  turned  to  the  Baronet,  saying,  "You  see  I  mean  to  be 
the  king  bee  of  my  own  hive." 

"  I  hope,  Madam,  you  like  your  new  mansion,  and  the  neighbourhood," 
said  Sir  Mark,  addressing  the  lady  of  the  house,  by  way  of  putting  a 
change  upon  the  conversation;  "it's  as  pretty  a  country  as  one  wouid 
wish  to  cross,  never  deep  in  winter,  and  the  fences  not  stiffer  than 
common." 

"  I  have  no  doubt.  Sir,"  answered  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  I  shall  find  it  just  what 
you  say,  provided  I'm  able  to  leave  the  house,  but  at  present  if  I  was  to 
turn  my  back  it  would  be  all  high  life  below  stairs.  Twelve  in  thc^kitchen 
is  an  evening  party  of  themselves,  but  they  can  't  be  content.  This  very 
morning  I  heard  the  groom  talking  to  the  coachman  about  giving  a  ball." 

"I  haiis  no  doubt  you  did,  Madam,"  replied  the  Baronet,  looking  very 


48  TYLNEY  HALL. 

significantly  at  Twigff,  to  whom  he  remarked  in  a  whisper,  "  She  's  runnino 
riot  after  a  country  dance,  and  a  dose  of  l)iltei-aIoe?." 

"Make  yourself  easy,  Mrs.  T.,  about  the  groom,"  said  Twigg,  "for  he '11 
l^room  no  more  here  :  1  warned  liim  ofi'thc  premises  an  hour  ago  for  deceiv- 
ing me  about  the  gray  mare.  The  more  fool,  says  you,  to  take  his  judgment, 
for  of  course  he  had  a  feeling  out  of  the  bargain,  but  a  man  that  has  ridden 
for  fifty  years  upon  sliank's  na-gy  can  't  be  expected  to  know  much  about 
horses.  But  it  don't  do,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  for  a  man  of  my  pro- 
perty to  show  ignorance,  so  says  I,  Thomas,  between  you  and  me  and  the 
post  is  this  mare  a  good  horse?  Sir,  says  Thonjas,  take  my  word  on  her, 
she's  no  action  behind,  none  whatever;  and  accordingly  I  bought  her  and 
paid  for  her  down  on  the  nail  ;  but  instead  of  being  a  quiet  one  as  he  said, 
the  very  first  time  she  was  gigged  she  kicked  the  whatd'ye-call-it  all  into 
splinters." 

"  Not  used  to  single  harness,  may  be,"  remarked  the  Baronet,  "  or  only 
half  broke.  But  how  goes  on  the  garden  —  it  used  to  be  well  looked  after 
by  old  Grub?" 

"  Old  Grub  has  got  warning  too,  Sir  Mark,"  replied  the  lady,  "  and  I  'm 
sorry  to  say  arn  't  working  out  his  month  as  if  he  cared  about  a  character. 
By  the  desire  of  Mr.T.  he  was  to  sovv  six  sacks  of  potatoes,  and  out  of 
sheer  spite,  he  Las  sliced  'em  all  up  into  slivers,  as  if  they  were  going  to  be 
baked  under  a  joint  of  meat." 

"  Dnrim  the.  potatoes,"  said  Twigg,  getting  warm,  "that's  only  a  flea 
bite  :  but  it  is  hard,  Sir  Mark,  that  a  man  like  me  can 't  walk  over  my  own 
fields,  to  look  at  my  own  prospects,  without  having  my  head  threatened  into 
holes.  Only  last  Monday,  I  was  called  to,  if  I  didn  't  make  myself  scarce, 
my  brains  would  be  let  out  for  a  holyday,  by  a  ruf?ian-looking  fellow  that 
was  driving  pegs  into  the  ground,  with  pieces  of  wire  tied  to  the  top." 

"  Necklaces  for  poor  Puss,"  said  the  Baronet,  with  a  significant  wink  to 
Twigg,  which  Twigg  took  like  a  man  who  heard,  for  the  first  time,  of  cats 
wearing  such  ornaments. 

"  But  of  course,  Madam,"  continued  Sir  Mark,  "you  derive  great  satis- 
faction from  your  dairy.  I  've  observed  there 's  nothing  my  own  town 
friends  settle  down  to  so  kindly,  as  the  home-made  butter  !" 

"It  a'nt  eatable,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Twigg,  her  eyes  filling  with  tears, 
"  and  we  have  to  buy  from  the  village.  I  'm  sure  it 's  no  fault  of  ours,  for 
we  keep  four  cows." 

"As  for  eggs,"  chimed  in  Mr.  Twigg,  "if  I  wanted  one  for  breakfast,  I 
might  as  well  look  for  'em  in  a  mare's  nest.  We  've  got  thirty  hens,  but 
it's  all  talking  and  no  doing;  they  all  go  cackling  about  the  stable-yard, 
instead  of  laying.  —  Talking  of  the  stable-yard,  Sir  Mark,  how  much  vic- 
tuals ousht  one  to  give  a  coach-horse  for  a  meal?" 

"  Half  a  peck  of  oars  mixed  with  chafT,  morning,  noon,  and  night,  and 
as  much  hay  as  they'll  eat,"  said  the  Baronet,  "with  maybe  a  handful  of 
beans  according  to  their  work." 

'*  I  said  so,  Mrs.  T."  exclaimed  Twigg,  with  almost  a  shout,  "  the  ani- 
mals are  over-indulged.  "My  horses,  Sir  Mark,  every  day  they  sit  down 
to  eat,  have  a  truss  of  hay  a-piece,  two  pecks  of  oats,  and  beans  by  the 
bushel,  for  I  've  calculated  their  bills  of  fares." 

"Ko-ad  then,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "if  they 've  any  blood  in 'em  they  '11  want 
good  handling,  and  curbing  up  tight,  for  of  course  they're  ready  to  jump 
out  of  their  harness." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  Twigg,  "  they're  as  gentle  as  Jarvies,  and  go  as 
elow  as  if  they  were  taking  a  fair  off  the  stones  a  little  before  sun-set." 

"  And  they  had  need  to  be  dossil,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  with  such 
an  unsober  coachman.     The  only  ride  I  've  had,  I  got  out  and  walked.    It  'a 


tylney  hall.  49 

a  thousand  pities  too,  for  he  's  a  rosy  fresh-coloured  man,  and  looks  well  in 
the  sky  bhie  and  orange." 

The  conversation  was  here  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Miss  Twigg, 
who,  in  answer  to  the  parental  inquiries,  replied,  that  she  had  been  an  air- 
ing in  the  new  carriage.  She  was  a  fine  showy  looking  girl  of  seventeen, 
with  dark  active  eyes,  which  kept  a  good  look  out,  though  not  on  the  pre- 
ventive service  ;  a  nose  handsome,  but  prominent,  and  a  good  set  of  teeth, 
which  she  was  as  fond  of  showing  as  a  wiry  Scotch  terrier.  Even  at  so 
early  an  hour  as  noon  she  appeared  to  be  dressed  for  dinner,  and  to  tell  the 
truth,  a  little  overdone.  She  was  evidently  her  father's  idol,  and  his  eye.i 
beamed  with  triumph,  as  he  presented  her  as  his  only  daughter  to  "  Sir 
Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,"  whom  she  favoured  with  one  of  those  curtseys, 
which,  to  adopt  a  common  oratorical  figure,  are  "  backward  in  coming  for- 
ward." 

"  I  have  been  telling  the  Baronet,  my  love,"  said  Mrs.  Twig:;,  "  how  be- 
set we  are  with  our  servants.  Perhaps,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrcl,  Baronet,  if  an 
old  resident,  you  can  inform  if  it's  true,  that  this  very  house  has  been  so 
repeatedly  robbed  and  broke  into  as  is  said.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  never 
been  quite  easy,  since  observing  that  the  house-dog  objects  to  bark  at  any 
one  but  the  family." 

"  If  my  memory  can  hold  its  own,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  there  were  two  or 
three  little  attempts  at  burglary,  but  they  never  got  beyond  a  hole  in  the 
shutter.  Old  Sir  Theodore  was  game  to  the  backbone,  and  a  dead  shot, 
and  would  as  soon  have  peppered  a  house-breaker  as  a  self-hunting  cur." 

"There's no  comfort  in  that,"  remarked  the  young  lady,  looking  gravely 
towards  her  mamma,  "  for  papa  never  could  let  off  any  thing  in  his  life  — 
not  that  even  blunderbusses  would  be  of  use  in  such  frights  as  ours.  What 
with  the  screech-owl,  and  the  wind  toiling  the  dinner-bell,  and  the  pigeons 
coming  flapping  down  the  chimney,  and  the  horrid  rats  behind  the  old  wain- 
scot, I  never  spent  such  terrifying  nights  since  I  read  the  Romance  of  the 
Haunted  House." 

*'  To  tell  the  truth,"  said  Twigg  to  the  Baronet,  in  a  confidential  tone, 
*'  the  Hive  does  n't  make  much  honey  at  present,  and  I  'm  afraid  I  've  come 
down  rather  too  much  for  the  good-will  —  but  halloo,"  he  shouted,  as  he  ran 
to  the  window,  "  that  damned  blackamoor  has  tied  the  horse  to  the  sun-dial, 
and  he  has  pulled  its  nose  off!' 

In  fact  the  sorrel  was  grazing  about  the  forecourt  with  Time's  indej: 
hanging  to  his  bridle;  a  sort  of  hint,  as  it  seemed,  to  his  master,  who  ac- 
cordingly took  his  leave  ;  and  as  he  trotted  home,  he  could  not  help  men- 
tally remarking,  that  to  judge  from  the  number  of  faults  and  checks,  the 
Twiggs  were  hunting  after  happiness  with  an  infernal  cold  scent 


50  TYLNEY  HALL, 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

Isab.  Yet  show  some  pity. 

,Ang.  I  show  it  most  of  al],  wlien  1  show  justice} 

For  then  I  pity  those  I  do  not  know, 

Which  a  dismiss'd  offence  would  after  gall  ; 

And  do  him  right,  that,  answering  one  loul  wrong, 

Lives  not  lo  act  another. 

Measure  for  Measure. 

Oh,  she  is 
Ten  times  more  gentle  than  her  father's  crabbed; 
And  he 's  composed  of  harshness. 

Tempest^ 

The  Baronet  had  accomplished  about  half  the  distance  homeward,  when 
at  the  turn  of  a  lane  he  caught  sight  of  a  gentleman,  who  was  walking  in 
the  same  direction,  with  a  young  lady  leaning  upon  his  arm.  He  immedi- 
ately gave  a  joyous  view  holla,  and  urged  his  sorrel  into  a  gallop,  which 
quickly  brought  him  alongside  of  the  pedestrians,  wliom  he  had  recognised 
afar  off',  as  his  old  friend"and  neighbour  Mr.  Rivers,  and  his  first  favourite 
Miss  Grace.  As  the  stern  magistrate  and  his  daughter  turned  their  heads 
at  once  towards  the  rider,  they  presented  a  striking  impersonation  of  Jus- 
tice tempered  with  Mercy  ;  the  pale  face  of  the  father  wearing  its  usual 
expression  of  austerity,  with  features  as  frigid  as  a  December  day,  when 
frost  has  stereotyped  even  the  fluids  into  rigid  forms  and  wrinkles  ;  while 
the  cheerful  countenance  of  the  daughter  laughed  all  over,  redolent  of 
health,  youth,  and  joy,  as  a  May  morning. 

Never  did  the  sunlight  fall  on  two  so  different,  yet  so  akin.  Law  had  in- 
deed inscribed  her  terrors  on  the  person  of  her  minister  —  he  had  a  high 
square  forehead,  straight  black  eyebrows,  and  two  dark  steadfast  eagle- 
looking  eyes,  that  evidently  would  not  wink  at  anything.  His  nose  was 
Roman,  which,  like  a  buttress,  served  to  support  his  face  in  its  massive  dig- 
nity ;  and  his  mouth  was  rather  wide,  with  two  almost  invisible  thin  lips, 
which  were  always  pale  from  habitual  compression.  In  complexion  and 
texture  his  skin  resembled  parchment,  and  seemed  equally  devoid  of  life 
and  feeling.  Draco  indeed,  when  he  wrote  his  laws  in  blood,  must  have 
derived  his  fluid  from  the  veins  of  some  such  stern  worshipper  of  Themis, 
seeing  that  it  was  an  ink  nothing  akin  to  those  which  are  called  sympa- 
thetic. No  impulse  of  human  passion,  love,  hate,  anger,  or  grief,  ever  al- 
tered the  hue  which  dwelt  on  the  obdurate  visage  of  the  magistrate,  whom 
a  romantic  fancy  might  have  taken  for  the  Cadi  of  that  oriental  city  in  the 
Arabian  Nights  whose  inhabitants  were  all  turned  into  marble. 

In  figure  he  was  very  thin,  very  tall,  and  very  erect,  so  that  with  his  for- 
bidding countenance  at  top,  he  might  be  aptly  compared  to  a  "  take  notice" 
board,  promising  prosecution  and  persecution  according  to  law  to  all  tres- 
passers on  the  wide  domains  of  the  statues  at  large.  On  the  Bench  indeed 
he  held  himself  so  stiffly  upright  in  person,  and  so  staunchly  inflexible  in 
feeling,  that,  as  a  waggish  London  attorney  once  remarked,  "  he  seemed 
actuallv  to  have  swallowed  the  sword  of  Justice." 

By  the  side  of  this  portentous  personage  stood  the  fairy-like  Grace,  the 
sunshine  transmuting  her  auburn  locks  into  gold,  and  glistening  in  her  gen- 
tle eyes,  deeply  blue  and  liquid,  as  violets  bathed  in  dew.  But  rocks  have 
their  flowers,  and  deserts  their  fountains:  and  from  the  hard  arid  nature  of 
the  parent  sprang  a  beautiful  plant,  so  instinct  with  a  gushing  sympathy  for 
human  sorrow,  as  to  resemble  that  weeping  tree  which  refreshes  the  parched 


TYLNEY    HALL.  51 

inhabitants  of  earth  with  the  moisture  it  has  collected  from  heaven.  Too 
seldom  was  she  allowed  to  intercede  between  justice  and  its  victims  ;  but 
when  she  did,  she  was  like  the  angel  in  Sterne,  who  dropped  a  tear  on  the 
indictment,  and  blotted  it  out  forever.  As  the  sole  child  of  a  widower,  her 
voice  had  a  charm,  like  the  music  of  Orpheus,  to  soften  the  rock  and  bend 
the  rugged  oak  of  her  parent's  nature,  who  now  and  then  relented,  like  Pluto, 
and  allowed  a  poor  soul  who  had  fallen  into  his  Tartarus,  to  revisit  tho  light 
and  air.  Many  blessings  were  consequently  showered  on  the  beautiful  head 
of  Grace  Rivers  ;  and  in  particular,  the  fervent  petition  of  a  grateful  Irish- 
man who  had  been  reprieved  through  her  influence,  became  quite  a  popular 
form  of  prayer.  "  Oh  the  darlint  of  the  world.  A  joyful  long  life  to  her,  and 
many  of 'em.  And  plaze  God  to  send  his  Honour  another  lady,  and  a  dozen 
more  only  daughters !" 

"Zounds!  neighbour,  you've  been  a  shy  cock  lately,"  said  Sir  Mark, 
dismounting  and  passing  his  arm  through  the  bridle;  "time  was  you  used 
to  make  the  Hall  your  home,  but  a  badger  could  n't  have  given  it  up  more 
thoroughly  if  a  fox  had  laid  his  billet  at  the  door.  I  almost  began  to  think 
it  who-oop  to  our  old  friendship.  I  've  a  crow  to  pick  with  Grace  too  —  I 
do  n't  know  whether  I  oughtn't  to  pluck  a  whole  rookery,  squabbs  and  all." 

"  I  should  feel  your  reproach.  Sir  ivlark,  as  a  capital  indictment,"  returned 
the  .Tu?tice,  "  if  my  conscience  could  find  it  a  true  bill.  But  private  pleasure 
must  defer  to  the  public  service." 

"  And  my  pleasure  to  my  father's,"  added  Grace,  at  the  same  time  offer- 
ing her  little  hand  to  the  Baronet,  who  clasped  it  in  "his  broad  bronzed 
hand,"  with  an  affection  which  showed  that  the  crow  he  had  talked  of  pick- 
ing was  in  reality  a  dove. 

"  We  have  had  a  very  heavy  sessions,"  said  the  Justice,  resuming  his 
apology.  "  Of  course  you  have  heard  of  the  rnurder  at  Hazel  Bridge,  and 
as  a  zealous  magistrate,  my  time  and  humble  talents  have  been  arduously 
employed,  —  I  need  only  say,  I  have  had  eighteen  taken  up  on  suspicion, 
and  remanded  twelve." 

"  I  really  beUeve,"  said  Grace,  "  those  dreadful  murderers  will  be  the 
death  of  my  poor  father  ;  he  scarcely  eats,  drinks,  or  sleeps,  till  he  brings 
them  to  justice ;  and, considering  the  misery  and  terror  of  the  mothers,  and 
wives,  and  sisters,  and  children,  of  those  he  is  obliged  to  suspect  and  appre- 
hend, I  can  conceive  nothing  more  harrowing  to  the  feelings." 

"Feeling,"  said  the  magistrate,  "is  out  of  the  question;  the  course  of 
justice  is  like  that  of  the  sacred  car  of  Juggernaut,  which  may  not  deviate 
from  its  appointed  path  to  spare  the  voluntary  sufferings  of  those  who  may 
choose  to  throw  themselves  under  its  wheels." 

"  It's  a  mercy,  then,  your  car  don't  drive  much  near  London,"  said  the 
Baronet,  laughing,  "or  it  would  soon  have  more  deodands  than  spokes  on 
its  wheels.  As  for  the  boys,  they  try  how  leisurely  they  can  cross  before 
your  horse's  nose,  and  by  Jove,  they  time  your  pace  to  a  second.  Then 
there  are  the  spavined  and  wind-galled  old  women,  that  can't  make  up  their 
minds  to  cross,  till  you  're  close  on  their  haunches.  And  the  gossiping  old 
men  that  pull  up  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  to  observe  the  changes  in  the 
nerghbourhood  ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  tipsy  ones,  that  try  to  win  a  race  with 
you'by  crossing  and  jostling ;  or  the  Sunday  evening  folks,  when  the  infan- 
try will  walk  in  the  horse-road,  and  the  cavalry  mustn't  ride  on  the  foot- 
path. If  you  were  to  drive  your  car  there  as  you  say,  without  swerving  or 
holding  hard,  you  mustn't  have  a  footman  behind,  but  a  coroner  in  livery." 

"  I  s'ee  no  rcascn  to  revise  my  judgment,"  replied  the  magistrate,  "even 
in  the  cases  you  have  so  facetiously  adduced.  There  is  little  difference  be- 
tween the  highwayman  who  takes  your  money,  and  the  footpads  you  men- 
tion, who  delay  you  on  the  road,  and  rob  you  of  your  time  by  the  same  pio- 
CCS9  of  pulling  you  in  bodily  fear,  either  for  their  persons  or  your  own.   Tha 


52  TYLNEY    HALL. 

penalty,  whether  inflicted  by  a  pistol-bullet  in  the  first  case,  or  by  a  horse's 
hoof  in  the  second,  is  justly  incurred  by  the  sufferer's  own  act  and  deed,  and 
he  must  abide  the  issue.     So,  as  I  said  before,  the  course  of  law  —  " 

"Must  be  sharp  coursing  indeed,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "when  your  worship 
is  the  tryer.  A  stout  hare  with  a  fair  start  may  get  away  from  the  best  of 
the  long  dogs ;  but  the  more  law  you  give,  the  worse  chance  of  saving 
one's  flix." 

"  He  is  not  so  severe  as  he  pretends,"  said  Grace,  earnestly  addressing 
the  Baronet ;  "indeed  he  is  not.  To  hear  him  talk,  you  would  take  him  for 
a  Judge  Jefleries.     But  he  always  does  justice  to  every  one  but  himself.]' 

"  I  am  sorry,  Grace,"  said  the  magistrate  in  a  severe  tone,  "  that  a  child 
of  mine  should  indulge  in  such  a  speech  without  perceiving  that  k  involves 
a  s<  rious  censure  on  her  parent.  I  never  pretend  to  discharge  my  duty  by 
threatening  when  I  ought  to  punish.  Ill  indeed  would  it  become  me  by  un- 
due lenity'^to  impeach  the  mildness  of  those  laws  which  have  been  framed 
by  the  equity,  the  wisdom,  and  the  humanity,  of  the  three  estates  of  the 
realm.  As  such,  I  am  imperiously  bound  to  dispense  their  pains  and  penal- 
ties according  to  the  letter,  without  stint  or  extenuation,  fear  or  favour.  And 
I  trust  I  may  be  forgiven  for  saying  that  I  have  invariably  dealt  the  same 
impartial  measure  to  all  —  high  or  low,  rich  or  poor." 

"  Why  truly,"  said  Sir  Mark,  considerately  stepping  in  to  the  rescue  of 
poor  Grace,  who  looked  distressed  at  her  father's  rebuke,  "I  should  be  very 
sorry  to  fall  into  your  worshipful  hands  with  no  better  defence  than  my  Ba- 
ronet's patent." 

"  Sir  Mark,  I  am  deeply  obliged  by  so  flattering  an  opinion,"  said  the 
Justice,  with  a  grave  bow  and  a  grim  smile,  "  which  I  hope  I  shall  continue 
to  deserve  while  I  have  the  honour  to  remain  in  the  commission.  Alike  un 
shaken  oy  popular  clamour  or  private  prejudice,  the  terrors  —  the  whole- 
some terrors — of  the  law  shall  never  be  frittered  away  in  my  hands  by  mis- 
taken mitigations.     Mercy  to  the  individual  is  cruelty  to  society." 

"  And  mercy  to  society  is  cruelty  to  the  individual,"  said  Sir  Mark  gayly^ 
"  when  it  deprives  a  gouty  prisoner  of  the  usual  visits  of  an  old  friend  and  a 
young  favourite.  You  are  sadly  missed,  Grace,  at  the  Hall ;  old  Deborah 
has  no  one  to  ask  after  her  asthma,  old  Ralph  the  gardener  has  nobody  to 
gossip  with  him  about  his  flowers,  and  Ralph's  old  master  has  nobody  to 
sing  songs  to  him  like  a  May  nightingale." 

""l  have  neither  forgotten  the  Hall  nor  its  kind  inhabitants,"  replied  Grace, 
"  though  I  may  have  seemed  a  little  remiss.  I  ought  indeed  to  have  inquired 
beforelifter  my  young  friends.  The  bold  Ringwood,  who  used  to  furnish 
me  with  birds  for  my  aviary ;  and  the  studious  Raby,  who  culled  and  copied 
out  for  me  the  prettiest  poems  ;  and  last,  not  least,  your  Sinbad  of  a  nephew, 
who  entertained  me  with  endless  stories  of  sharks  and  fire-flies,  and  Ma- 
roons and  rock-snakes,  and  alligators,  and  the  beautiful  (Quadroons." 

"They  are  running  riot,  Grace,  I  suspect,  like  other  young  collegians," 
said  Sir  Mark,  "getting  learning  into  their  heads  by  day,  and  wine  into 
their  heads  by  night ;  sowing  wild  oats  and  so-foith,  with  an  in-go  now  and 
then  at  the  old  battle-royal  of  Town  and  Gown." 

"  The  more  disgrace  to  the  proctors,"  remarked  the  magistrate,  "  who  are 
invented  with  the  power  of  repressing  such  disorders.  What  signifies  it  that 
the  University  has  statutes  of  her  own,  if  they  be  not  enforced  ?  Expulsion 
and  rustication  become  nominal  punishments,  mere  nursery  bugbears,  and 
Alma  Mater  herself  appears  like  a  silly  indulgent  mother,  who  bpoiis  her 
children  by  sparing  the  rod.     For  my  own  part,  if  I  were  a  proctor  —  " 

"You'd  make  a  rare  whipper-in  no  doubt,"  said  the  Baronet  laughing, 
"  and  Madcap,  and  Folly,  and  Frolic,  and  Thoughtless,  and  the  rest  of  the 
puppies,  would  often  run  yelping  along  with  their  sterns  between  their  gas- 
kins.    But  we  are  come  to  the  cross-roads,  and  yonder  is  the  old  finger 


TYI.NET   HALL.  5S 

post,  pointlno;  with  one  hand  towards  Tylney,  and  with  the  other  to  Hawks- 
ley,  Hke  a  great  starin":  liawbuck  giving  one  news  of  the  fox.  As  a  master 
of  hounds,  the  field  ought  to  follow  my  lead,  which  is  towards  the  Hall  and 
the  venison-pasty  and  other  oddments  that  have  been  prepared  for  dinner. 
Such  old  friends  as  Mr.  and  Miss  Rivers  will  not  stand  on  ceremony,  and 
object  to  try  my  covers,  without  the  meet  being  advertised  a  fortnight  be- 
forehand." 

"  We  should  have  much  pleasure  in  accepting  the  invitation,"  returned 
the  magistrate,  adopting  the  royal  pronoun  in  behalf  of  Grace  and  himself, 
**  but  till  we  have  appeased  the  cravings  of  justice  in  this  bloody  business 
at  Hazel  Bridge,  wo  have  no  other  appetite,  and  we  must  decline  with 
great  regret  the  hospitality  of  the  Hall.  There  are  twelve  men  still  to  re- 
examine, and  we  have  issued  warrants  against  seven  more." 

"  "Well,  God  send  them  a  good  deliverance,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  which  I 
believe  is  a  legal  prayer,  and  so  I  wish  your  worship  good  day.  As  for 
you,  Grace,"  he  continued,  laying  his  hand  on  her  shoulder  with  the  fond- 
ness of  a  father,  "you're  like  a  bait  hung  over  the  Tenth  Commandment,  to 
trap  me  into  coveting  what  belongs  to  my  neighbour.  I  forgot  to  tell  you 
I  have  a  sister  coming  home  to  the  Hall,  who  will  love  you  as  much  as  I 
do,  as  sure  as  she  belongs  to  the  Tyrrels.  So  if  you  will  not  visit  me,  you 
can  call  on  her — besides  the  Oxford  fence-months  will  soon  be  over,  and 
my  boys  will  be  again  about  the  forest." 

'"  I  hope  to  be  "amongst  the  first.  Sir  Mark,  to  welcome  your  sister's 
arrival,"  and  Grace  slightly  blushed  as  she  spoke,  adding  with  some  emo- 
tion, "  and  I  shall  treasure  her  love  the  more,  as  I  have  never  known  the 
blessing  of  a  mother's."- 

A  general  shaking  of  hands  ensued,  and  the  Baronet  re-mounted  Sorrel, 
who  speedily  carried  him  to  the  hi»h  road,  just  in  time  to  be  amused  with 
an  equipage  which  must  have  ludicrously  answered  an  innkeeper's  sum- 
mons for  a  "first  turn  out."  It  was  a  neat  postchaise,  anything  but  neat 
in  itself,  even  if  it  had  not  been  littered  all  over  with  trunks,  and  baskets, 
and  bandboxes  ;  and  it  was  drawn  by  two  horses — a  rusty  black,  and  a 
dirty  white,  who  seemed  runnins:  a  dead  heat,  though  one  trotted  and  the 
other  cantered.  As  for  the  postilion,  he  looked  as  if  he  Hterally /armed  the 
post-horse  duty,  for  with  a  professional  blue  jacket  and  boots,  he  wore  the 
straw  hat  and  velveteens  of  a  plough-boy.  In  lieu  of  a  whip  he  carried  a 
hazel  stick,  with  which  he  occasionally  belaboured  the  rusty  black,  whose 
heels  seemed  to  possess  all  the  grease  that  was  wanted  for  the  wheels — 
while  ever  and  anon  a  bundle  of  tartan  popped  out  of  the  near  window,  and 
exhorted  the  driver  to  make  more  speed,  with  the  promises  of  "  a  saxpence 
to  himsel."  Instead  of  the  pace  getting  better,  however,  it  decreased,  till 
at  last  the  wretched  over-driven  cattle  moved  almost  as  slowly  as  those 
long-tailed  black  post-horses  wherewith  we  post  to  eternity.  Besides,  at 
evoFy  fresh  Scotch  appeal  from  the  window,  the  postilion,  if  so  he  might  be 
called,  pulled  up  to  explain  why  he  could  go  no  faster. 

"  I  telle,  missus,  the  meare's  Icame  and  can't  goo  much  fudder.  She  be 
fazzv,  and  it  bcant  no  use  to  whup  she." 

The  Baronet  was  fain,  therefore,  to  ride  ahead,  and  leave  these  pilgrims 
to  their  progress,  v/hich  was  so  tedious  that  the  milestones — described  by 
Sheridan  as'the  most  unsociable  of  all  things,  for  you  never  see  two  of  them 
together,  —  even  the  unsociable  milestones  seemed  to  keep  each  other  at  aa 
unusual  distance. 


54  TYLNEY    HALL. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  The  Campbells  are  coming,  hurrah,  hurrah  ?" 

Old  Ballad. 

"  Oh  relieve  me,  or  I  shall  lose  my  hearing  ; 
You  have  raised  a  fury  up  into  her  tongue  ; 
A  parliament  of  women  could  not  make 
Such  a  confused  noise  as  that  she  utters." 

Green's  Tu  Quoque. 

The  Baronet  had  been  at  home  about  half  an  hour,  and  old  Deborah  had 
just  administered  to  him  a  biscuit  and  a  bumper  of  Madeira,  by  way  of 
removing  the  wire  edge  of  his  appetite,  which  had  been  well  honed  and 
stropped  by  his  morning  ride,  when  the  sharp  eye  of  the  housekeeper  hap- 
pened to  glance  through  a  window  which  overlooked  the  avenue.  Her  at- 
tention was  immediately  fixed  by  some  object  moving  along  between  the 
stately  chesnuts  which  lined  the  approach  to  the  Hall,  but  as  yet  too  dis- 
tant for  her  sight  to  define  its  character ;  at  last  it  came  near  enou^jh  for 
her  to  venture  on  a  definite  announcement,  in  her  usual  style,  her  asthma 
literally  breaking  the  news  she  communicated. 

"Your  honour  there's  a  post  —  chaise  and  Oh  Lord! — driven  by  a 
plough  —  boy  in  a  blue — jacket  and  top  —  boots  and  mercy  on  us — the 
oddest  looking  woman  —  alive  in  a- harlequin  cloak  —  reaching  out  of  the 
window  —  and  waving  —  her  arms  —  like  mad!"  ; 

Sir  Mark,  looking  out  in  the  same  direction,  recoOTised  at  a  ghmpse  the 
identical  equipage  which  he  had  left  on  the  high-road  going  so  deliberately  ; 
but  the  driver,  like  a  true  jockey,  had  partly  saved  his  horses  for  a  rush  at 
the  end  ;  and  they  now  came  smoking  along  as  if  literally  boiling  a  gallop, 
to  the  visible  terror  of  the  woman  in  tartan,  whose  arms  were  working  at 
the  front  window  like  the  limbs  of  a  telegraph.  Onward  he  dashed,  look- 
ing a  winner  all  the  way,  to  the  Hall-door,  where  he  pulled  up  with  a  sud- 
denness that  sent  the  two  hdrses  and  the  Scotch  woman  on  their  haunches, 
the  shock  at  the  same  moment  breaking  the  cords  of  a  trunk  which  had 
been  riding  on  the  roof:  the  box  immediately  pitched  off  and  burst  open, 
and  scattered  such  a  quantity  of  miscellaneous  articles,  that  like  the  fisher- 
man in  the  Arabian  Nights,  vi'hen  the  geni  emerged  from  the  chest,  every 
body  wondered  how  such  a  bulk  could  have  been  contained  in  such  a  box. 
And  as,  in  the  same  story,  there  came  out  in  the  first  place  "a  very  thick 
smoke  which  formed  a  great  mist,"  so  out  of  the  Scotchwoman's  trunk 
there  ascended  a  dense  cloud  of  dust,  which  appeared  to  have  escaped  from 
a  large  bag  or  poke  of  oatmeal," that  had  been  destined  to  remind  one  Mr. 
Donald  Cameron  of  the  land  of  Cakes.  Unluckily,  most  of  it  had  dispersed 
m  air,  except  one  little  residue,  which  a  broken  greybeard  of  Glenlivet  had 
converted  into  a  sort  of  brose:  in  the  same  fluid  floated  a  dozen  finnin  bad- 
dies, while  part  of  the  stream  served  to  unbleach  a  web  of  home-made  linen, 
which  had  unfurled  itself  on  the  gravel.  A  bran-new  "braw  blue  bonnet," 
intended  for  the  sandy  sconce  of  a  nephew  apprenticed  to  a  London  baker, 
pitched  by  chance  on  the  head  of  Whop,  a  bull-terrier,  who  was  barkine;  at 
the  catastrophe,  and  who  in  resentment  worried  the  cap  into  ribbons.  Tor- 
ment and  Teazer,  two  old  fox-hounds  who  were  at  large  on  their  parole, 
gobbled  up  a  mutton-ham  in  a  twinkling ;  and  while  Jupiter  bolted  a  Sun- 
day mutch,  accidentally  filled  with  real  Scotch  marmalade,  Venus  made 
short  work  with  a  batch  of  short-cake,  ornamented  in  sugar-plums.  In  the 
middle  of  the  medley  sprawled  a  huge  body  of  clothes,  with  silk  and  gingr 


TYLNEY    HALL.  55 

ham  arms,  and  worsted  ana  cotton  le^?.  It  was,  in  short,  a  total  wreck, 
< —  at  sight  of  wtiicn,  as  Lord  Byron  says, 

"Then  rose  from  earth  to  heaven  the  wild  farewell,  —" 

for  Tibbie  Campbell,  our  tartan  woman,  could  not  have  set  up  a  louder 
funeral  wail,  or  coronach,  if  Mac  Galium  More  himself  had  just  expired, 
with  all  his  tail. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Baronet  hurried  down  to  the  hall-door,  and  received 
his  sister  in  his  arms  as  she  alighted  from  the  chaise. 

"  Eijad,  Kate,"  he  exclaimed,  after  a  hearty  embrace  and  welcome, 
•"  what  with  that  bang  and  smother,  your  vessel  seemed  to  fire  her  own 
salute  on  her  arrival.  Why,  I  rode  a  good  mile  on  your  track  without 
owning  to  it;  though  I  ought  to  have  cliallenged  at  the  "harlequin  cloak," 
as  Debby  calls  it,  as  comins  from  the  North." 

"  And  I  hope  my  kind  old  Deborah  keeps  her  health,"  said  the  sister, 
affectionately  shaking  the  withered  hand  of  the  housekeeper,  who  could 
only  reply  by  an  hysterical  cackle  and  a  low  curtsey. 

"The  Scotchwoman,  brother,  is  a  very  old  and  faithful  servant  of  mina 
for  whom  I  must  beg  house-room  at  the  Hall." 

"  Use  the  Hall  at  your  pleasure,  Kate,"  returned  the  Baronet,  "  barring 
the  doo'-kennels  and  the  stables.  All  the  rest  you  may  consider  as  youv 
own  manor,  provided  you  '11  join  Deborah  here  with  your  tartan  woman  in 
the  deputation.  But  after  a  long  stage,  you  '11  be  glad  of  a  bite  and  a  sup, 
and  so  let  us  go  up  stairs.  But  first,  do  me  the  favour  to  take  up  the 
Scotchwoman,  for  she 's  within  hearing  of  the  ladies'  kennel,  and  I 
should  n't  like  them  to  learn  her  style  of  giving  tongue." 

The  Scotchwoman,  in  truth,  was  literally  realizing  Sir  Mark's  descrip- 
tion in  more  senses  than  one ;  for  amongst  her  general  cargo  there  hap- 
pened to  be  some  dried  reindeer  tongues,  which  her  old  sweetheart,  the 
mate  of  the  William  Wallace,  had  imported  from  Riga  to  Dundee.  As 
they  were  of  the  make  and  consistence  of  smalf  cudgels,  they  were  the 
most  natural  weapons  at  hand  to  be  pelted  successively  at  Jupiter,  and 
Venus,  and  Torment,  and  Teazer,  and  Whop  ;  who,  with  the  instinctive 
sagacity  of  doss,  immediately  galloped  off  with  the  missiles,  that  they 
might  not  serve  for  another  discharge.  At  the  same  tim.e  she  favoured  the 
postboy  with  a  volley  of  hard  words,  in  the  dialect  of  Fifeshire  ;  to  which 
he  answered  with  an  occasional  shot,  in  the  dialect  of  Berkshire,  of  course 
aggravating  the  misunderstanding. 

"  Wae  worth  that  fule  body,  the  maister  at  the  inn,"  cried  Tibbie,  "  for 
letting  yon  wiselike  cannie  lad  gang  aff"  the  saddle,  and  trusting  his  naigs 
to  a  muckle  havering  gowk,  wha  kens  nae  mair  aboot  guiding  thera  than  a 
born  natural !" 

"  Ecod,  she  do  wag  her  tongue  moightily ;  but  I  doant  moind  she," 
remarked  Jolterhead,  looking  stoical  with  all  his  might ;  and  quietly  pocket- 
mg  a  liberal  guerdon,  along  with  the  hire  of  the  chaise,  away  he  rattled 
again,  pursued  by  a  parting  benediction. 

"  Ay,  gang  yer  gate,  the  unchancy  Deevil's  buckie  that  ye  are  —  I'm 
thinking  it'll  no  be  lang  or  ye  coup  the  crans  a'  thegither,  —  and  nae  harm 
dune,  sin  the  aivers  suld  ding  out  yer  barns  !" 

*'  Whisht,  Tibbie  woman,"  said  her  mistress,  interposing,  "you're  wanted 
to  take  the  things  up  to  my  room  ;  and  never  fash  yourself  about  your  own 
gear,  for  it  shall  all  be  made  good." 

"You're  vary  kind,  my  leddy,"  answered  Tibbie,  "but  it's  ill  makin 
a  silken  pourh  o'  a  sow's  luj.  Div  ye  think,  mem,  there  's  ony  livin  body 
in  England  can  make  short-breed,  forbye  marmalade  —  or  div  ye  think  the 
cnange-houses  a'  thegither  baud  sae  muckle  as  ae  mutchkin  o'  Glenhvit — • 


56  TTLNEY    HAJLL. 

or  div  ye  think  the  hail  manty-makers  in  Lunnon  can  fashion  siccan  a 
mutch  as  yon  illfaured  hound  is  vvearin  in  's  wame?  Made  gude  !  by  m^ 
troth  it's  gay  an  Hkely  to  come  to  pass,  when  the  wind  blaws  back  tho 
meal  from  a'  the  airts  in  till  yon  poke.  Made  gude,  indeed  !  In  coorse, 
mem,  there  ^s  bkie  bonnets  to  be  gotten  affwindie-straes  for  the  gatherin  j 
and  nae  doot  mutton-hams  is  to  be  picket  aff  the  grund  like  chuckie-stanes 
There  's  wabs  o'  claith  too,  and  napery,  I  'se  warrent,  amang  thae  English, 
wha  toil  not  neither  do  they  spin,  ony  mair  than  King  Solomon^s  lilies. 
But,  as  ye  say,  they  're  a'  to  be  made  gude."  —  So  saying,  she  apphed  herseK 
to  the  removal  of  the  packages,  while  the  Baronet  and  his  sister  proceeded 
up  stairs. 

"  And  now,  welcorrie  again  to  the  Hall,  Kate,"  be  said,  kindly  leading 
her  into  the  drawing-room,  '*  and  I  *m  glad  at  heart  you've  run  a  ring  back 
again  to  the  old  house,  where  you  were  rovtsed." 

"  I  'm  thinking,  Mark,"  she  replied,  smiling,  "  that  the  old  house  has 
been  getting  itself  an  awful  ill  name  since  I  left.  Probably  the  ghost  of 
Sir  Walter  Ikis  been  playing  its  fearsome  pranks  beyond  the  common :  but 
the  postilion  who  should  have  driven  vis  the  last  stage,  fairly  jumped  out  of 
the  saddle  at  the  mere  mention  of  Tylney  Hall ;  and  as  he  resolutefy  refused 
to  ride  a  foot  in  that  direction,  he  got  a  discharge  on  the  spot ;  and  we  were 
compelled  to  accept  the  services  of  the  strange  substitute  you  saw." 

"  Unlucky  Joe,  for  a  pony !"  exclaimed  Sir  Mark,  with  a  vehement  slap 
of  his  hand  on  his  buckskins,  "the  more  hick,  Kate,  for  you  that  he  bolted  ; 
for  I  've  booked  myself  to  ride  over  him  roughshod.  But  now  I  think  of  it, 
you  married  into  Scotland  before  Bedlamite  was  foaled.  Sad  changes  irj 
the  family,,  Kate,  since  we  parted  —  first  Herbert,  and  then  BedJamite,  and 
then  youT  husband  —  but  do  n't  hang  down  your  head.  I  forgot,  irhnaming 
it,  that  I  was  putting  ihe  loaded  collar  on  you,  when  I  ought  to  cry  Hold  up.'^ 

The  widow  of  the  Laird  of  Glencosie  really  drooped  her  head,  and  the 
tears  stood  in  her  eyes,  at  the  Baronet's  allusion  to  her  losses  ;  but  she 
repressed  her  emotion,  and  inquired  after  her  nephews,  whom  she  had  left 
as  mere  children. 

"  My  dear  Kate, '^'  said  Sir  Mark,  adopting  a  confidential  tone,  "  the  boys 
are  like  my  preserves,  both  a  pleasure  and  a  plague.  You  've  seen  a  hen 
when  some  Cockney  ignoramus  has  famished  her  with  a  hatch  of  eggs, 
half  ducks  and  half  chickens  ;  the  chickens  will  not  take  to  the  water,  and 
the  ducklings  will  not  take  to  the  land — and  so  it  is  with  my  two  sons. 
You  cannot  get  Ringwood  into  learning,  or  Raby  out  of  it- — and  there  I  anri 
on  the  edge  of  the  pond,  trying  to  keep  the  brood  together.  If  Ringwood 
would  read  a  little,  and  Raby  would  sport  a  little,  it  would  be  a  good  cross. 
Between  ourselves,  I  wish  they  were  more  like  St.  Kitts ;  but  you  woA't 
know  him  by  that  nomination  —  I  mean  Herbert's  brown  colt, —  and  a 
promising  colt  he  is." 

The  conversation  was  here  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Deborah,  with 
refreshments  for  the  traveller. 

"If  you  please.  Madam," — she  said,  with  a  smile  crumpling  her  aged 
features  —  "the  Scotch  —  servant  is  in  a  towering  —  passion  in  the  kitchen 
—  because  we  don't  —  give  her  what  —  she  wants,  but  Lord  help  us  — 
nobody  can  make  her  out  —  it  was  something  about  —  four  hoors  —  and  a 
few  kail." 

•'  Poor  Tibbie  is  hungry,  Deborah,"  said  the  lady,  "  and  was  asking 
about  dinner  time,  and  a  little  broth.  By  the  way,  you  may  tell  the  cook 
from  me,  not  to  let  Tibbie  meddle  with  the  cookery,  or  she  will  make  kail 
of  every  thing  ;  and  I  mind  my  brother  is  no  so  fond  of  spoon-meat  as  they 
are  in  the  North." 

"  Not  I,  by  the  Lord  Harry,"  said  Sir  Mark  ;  "  I  'm  for  nothing  but  knife 
and  fork.     So  lock  up  the  pump-handle,  Debby,  and  keep  an  eye  to  th« 


TYLNEY  HALL.  57 

boilers,  or  we  shall  have  an  ounce  of  mutton  swimming  in  a  tureen  of 
barley-water  —  I  've  heard  of  their  Scotch  broths." 

"  They  're  not  so  much  amiss  either,"  said  the  sister,  "  when  you  get 
used  to  them." 

"May  be  not,"  said  Mark,  "with  something  to  take  after  them,  and 
provided  you  're  only  going  to  sit  in  your  arm-chair.  But  to  fill  yoiu  barrel 
with  broth  before  riding  to  fox-hounds,  you  might  as  well  give  youj  linnter 
a  bucket  of  water  to  help  him  to  gallop.  Take  my  word  for  it,  Kate,  that's 
the  very  reason  why  there 's  so  little  fox-hunting  in  Scotland." 

"  You  would  find  some  more  formidable  reasons,  brotlier,"  said  the  lady, 
"in  the  shape  of  mountains,  and  lakes,  and  mosses.  And  now,  Deboral^ 
I  will  trouble  you  to  show  me  to  my  chamber,  and  to  send  Tibbie  to  assist 
rae  in  changing  this  dusty  dress  before  dinner-time." 

Accordingly  Deborah  ushered  the  lady,  whom  for  the  future  we  shall  call 
Mrs.  Hamilton,  to  her  room  ;  where  she  found  the  Scotchwoman  actively 
engaged  in  unpacking  the  various  trunks,  and  on  uncording  every  one  of 
which  she  gave  vent  to  a  fresh  lamentation  over  the  fate  of  her  own  chest. 
Tibbie  Campbell  was  not  much  given  to  the  melting  mood  ;  but  her  eyes, 
though  not  absolutely  raining,  were  filled  with  a  sort  of  Scotch  mist ;  and 
never  perhaps,  during  the  forty  years  of  her  life,  had  she  felt  so  depressed 
and  downhearted  as  at  the  present  moment,  when  her  feelings  seemed  to  be 
playing  a  medley  of"  Ha  Til  mi  tulidh" — "  Lochaber  no  more"  —  "Dowf 
and  dowie" — "  Waly  waly"  —  and  other  national  Songs  of  Sorrow. 

"Wae's  me,"  she  ejaculated,  "it  needs  nae  second-sight  to  ken  the 
upshot  —  I'll  be  waild-weary  in  less  than  nae  time.  To  think  o'  comin 
fra  bonnie  Glencosie,  and  kith  and  kin,  intil  an  unco  place  where  it 's  no 
possible  to  say  to  a  livin  creture  '  come  gie's  ye're  cracks'  —  Robbie  Cru- 
shoe,  puir  fallow,  wasna  waur  aff  amang  a  wheen  sawvidges.  Fient  a 
word  can  I  speak  down  bye  but  the  hizzies  maun  a'  be  glowrin  and  girnin 
at  me,  like  born  gomerils,  and  cryin  '  what 's  yer  wuU  ?  —  what 's  yer  wuU  ?' " 

"Tibbie,  lass,"  said  her  mistress,  in  a  tone  of  considerable  kindness, 
"  you  're  wiser  than  to  look  for  a  duck-egg  in  a  corbie's  nest ;  and  you  must 
not  expect  to  hear  the  Scotch  language  from  an  English  tongue.  As  for 
the  chest,  as  your  importation  has  been  wrecked,  I  will  furnish  you  with  a 
cargo  for  exportation  —  and  your  friends  at  G  lencosie  shall  no  say  of  you, 
that  out  of  sight  is  out  of  mind." 

With  this  comfortable  promise  she  judiciously  tempered  the  troubles  of 
the  serving  woman,  who,  nevertheless,  could  not  help  sighing  as  she  turned 
over  lace  caps,  and  silk  gowns,  and  other  articles  of  female  adornment,  so 
spotless  and  splendid  in  comparison  with  her  own  ruined  finery ;  which 
doubtless,  on  coming  southward,  she  had  contemplated  in  the  same  spirit 
as  Winifred  Jenkins,  when  she  wrote  about  the  yellow  trolopee  —  "God 
he  nose  what  havoc  I  shall  make  among  the  mail  sects  when  1  make  my 
first  appearance  in  this  killing  collar."  However,  she  applied  herself  to  her 
duties  as  tire  woman  ;  which  she  performed  tolerably,  considering  the  per- 
turbation of  her  mind  ;  for  she  only  thrust  a  pin  into  her  inistress's  shoulder, 
while  thinking  of  a  certain  trysting  thorn  at  Glencosie,  and  perfurned  a 
handkerchief  with  sal  volatile  instead  of  lavender,  during  a  mental  visit  to 
Glencosie  Kirk — an  image  associated  with  a  sound  which  was  ringing  in 
her  ears. 

"Od,  Sirs,"  she  exclaimed,  "but  ye  guide  matters  an  unco  gate  in  the 
south.  I  've  aye  been  tauld  the  English  are  no  sae  keen  to  barken  till  the 
meenister  as  some  ither  folk  —  but  Lorsh  keep  us,  Mem,  religion  maun  hae 
the  worst  o  't,  where  the  kirk-bell  begins  jowing  just  when  a  body  's  gang- 
ing till  their  four-hoors." 

"  The  ringing  you  hear,  Tibbie,"  said  her  mistress,  smiling,  "  is  nothing 

6—4    ' 


58  TTLNEY    HALL. 

but  the  dinner-bell,  calling  me  to  a  service  where  every  one  is  their  own 
min/ster." 

So  saying,  she  descended  and  rejoined  her  brother  at  the  dinner-table, 
where  the  conversation,  as  may  easily  be  supposed,  took  a  retrospective 
turn,  in  which  Herbert,  Glencosie,  Bedlamite,  llingwood,  Raby,  and  St. 
Kitts,  were  the  principal  subjects.  The  future,  however,  was  not  over- 
looked by  the  baronet ;  who,  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart,  confided  to  his  sister 
his  matrimonial  project  concerninir  RiugH'ood  and  Grace  Rivers,  to  which 
she  replied  by  a  judicious  admonition  aj^ainst  match-making  ;  for  she  had 
experienced  some  of  the  evils  of  enforced  marriages  in  her  own  union  with 
the  northern  Laird  —  who  was  said  to  have  courted  the  mother  by  wa}'  of 
winning  the  daughter. 

"  For  the  love  of  heaven,  Mark,"  she  said,  "  neither  make  nor  meddle  in 
marriage  ;  but  let  the  young  people  select  their  own  favourites.  Love  is 
a  plant  of  deep  growth  and  root ;  and  he  is  a  bad  gardener  who  puts  it  into 
the  head,  instead  of  letting  it  spring  from  the  heart.  If  you  are  so  fond  of 
Grace  Rivers  as  you  say,  you  can  do  the  dear  girl  no  better  kindness  than 
to  let  her  affections  take  their  own  natural  course.  A  maiden's  heart,  with 
all  its  sensitive  feelings  and  fancies,  is  like  one  of  our  drawers  full  of  delicate 
laces,  and  gossamer  muslins  and  gauzes,  —  fabrics  of  too  tender  a  texture 
to  be  turned  over  and  rumpled  by  the  rough  hand  of  a  father  or  a  brother. 
Remember  the  appeal  of  poor  Polly  in  the  Beggar's  Opera — 

"  Can  love  be  controlled  by  advice  ? 
Will  Cupid  our  mothers  obey?" 

A  serious  question,  Mark,  which  my  own  heart  has  been  answering  in  the 
negative  for  these  twelve  years  past." 

"I  do  not  know,"  said  ihe  Baronet,  "  but  that  you  may  be  right  about 
Grace  and  her  father.  To  be  sure  the  old  cast-iron  Justice  would  sign  her 
marriage  mittimus  and  send  her  off  to  church  just  as  he  'd  commit  a  gipsy- 
jade  to  the  county  jail  ;  and  maybe  with  a  special  constable  for  a  bridesman. 
No,  Kate,  I  'm  not  for  coupling-up  young  people  by  the  neck,  when  they  're 
perhaps  not  fitter  to  run  together  than  Lightning  and  Lounger,  or  a  grey- 
hound with  a  turnspit ;  but  as  to  Ringwood  and  Grace,  you  might  search 
the  kingdom  for  a  better  match,  whether  for  age,  or  shape,  or  temper." 

"  Well,  brother,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  laughing,  "  I  will  only  remind  you 
of  a  saying  which  is,  or  ought  to  be,  a  Scotch  proverb —  "  It's  ill  to  begin 
bigging  at  the  tap  o'  the  lum.'  It's  very  possible  that  Grace  may  prefer 
Raby  to  Ringwood,  or  Walter  to  either,  and,  as  the  trout  said  to  the  fisher- 
man,  when  he  fell  into  the  mill  dam,  'where  are  you  then  ?'  " 

"Your  hedge  is  a  stifTone  to  get  over,"  said  Sir  Mark,  with  equal  good 
humour,  *'  but,  as  the  farmer's  mare  said,  when  he  tried  to  get  before  the 
deer, '  it 's  an  event  not  likely  to  come  off'  RingM'ood  against  the  field  for 
a  thousand  —  and  here  comes  a  backer  who  would  stand  half  of  the 
bet." 

The  personage  thus  alluded  to,  unceremoniously  entered  the  room  as  the 
Baronet  spoke  ;  he  made  a  bow,  indeed,  when  introduced  to  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton, and  then,  with  a  familiar  nod  to  Sir  Mark,  he  drew  a  chair  to  the  table 
and  helped  himself  to  a  glass  of  claret,  which  he  immediately  drank  ofl 
with  a  deep  sigh  of  enjoyment.  A  second  followed,  and  then  a  third, 
before  he  made  answer  to  the  Baronet's  inquiry  whether  he  had  met  with 
any  sport. 

"Damned  a  bit,"  he  rephed,  first  yawning,  and  then  diving  his  hands  into 
his  pockets  —  stretching  out  his  legs  —  and  looking  downward,  in  the  very 
attitude  of  the  nobleman  in  the  second  plate  of  Marriage  A-la-mode.  "  Met 
at  Hawksley — a  blank.     Then  to  Foxcote  —  blank  again;  Windmills 


Tri.XEY    HALL  59 

Grange  —  ditto  ;  ditto  at  Golder's  Gorse.  Away  to  Holliiigton —  found  a 
vi.xen,  —  and  whipped  off" 

'■  And  the  field,"  inquired  Sir  Mark,  "  were  there  many  with  the  but- 
lon  ?"' 

"  Not  a  soul  but  the  Farmers  and  myself — barring  young  TwiB:2: ;  a 
queer  one  by  Jove.  Rode  a  bay  pony  very  short  in  the  legs,  and  wore  a 
scarlet  coat  very  long  in  the  skirts  —  looked  devilish  like  general  post  riding 
proxy  for  twopenny." 

"  Now  I  think  of  it,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  I  remember  his  father  saying  he 
had  taken  to  hunting  ever  since  being  at  Epping  Forest  on  an  Easter  Mon- 
day. By  the  way,  Kate,  I  forgot  to  tell  you  we  have  some  distant  relations 
settled  very  near  us  —  a  grandson  of  old  Theophilus  Tyrrel." 

"  As  <£ame  a  fellow,  Madam,"  added  the  visiter,  "  as  ever  laid  the  long 
odds.  Knew  old  Theophilus  well  —  met  him  often  at  Newmarket — and 
meant  to  do  the  civil  thing  by  his  great-grandson,  Twigg  junior;  but  it's 
no  go  —  he  Ml  never  be  dab  at  anything  {  Lent  him  my  cats  last  Friday  for 
a  rabbiting,  and  he  worked  them  with  collar  and  string.  Killed  only  one 
old  doe  rabbit  —  and  contrived  to  hang  the  dog  ferret  for  it,  as  dead  as 
Theodore  Gardelle !" 

"  I  'm  afraid,"  said  Sir  Mark,  shaking  his  head,  "  the  family  will  do  little 
credit  to  the  Tyrrels,  when  it  comes  to  sporting.  As  for  Twigg  himself, 
he  won't  stand  withm  two  yards  of  a  horse  ;  and  even  then  he  watches  its 
heels,  as  if  the  animal  had  said  to  him,  '  consider  yourself  kicked.'  But 
come,  fill  up  a  bumper,  and  let's  have  the  old  standing  toast  of  the  hunt  — 
"  here  's  Pitt  in  the  cabinet,  and  Fox  in  the  field.'  " 

"  Here  's  Pitt  and  Fox,  then,"  said  the  guest,  taking  off  his  bumper; 
"  and  now  for  another,"  he  added,  as  he  closed  the  door  after  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton, who  had  taken  the  toast  as  a  hint  to  retire,  "  'here's  to  all  maids, 
wives,  and  widows.'  Deserves  three  times  three,"  he  said,  giving  his 
empty  glass  a  flourish  in  the  air,  "  but  want  Ringwood  to  give  us  the  hips. 
When  will  he  be  home  from  that  d — d  University?" 

*'  After  Hilary  Term,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  which  is  about  the  end  of 
March." 

"Confound  Hilary,  and  his  terms  to  boot!"  cried  the  other,  "might 
know  better  than  to  keep  young  fellows  haltered  up  in  his  old  musty  stalls 
in  the  hunting  season.  Don't  see  why  all  the  learning  can't  be  done  while 
the  nags  are  summering  at  grass  ;  but  guess  how  it  is  —  old  Hilary  don't 
hunt.  A  regular  waddler  —  weighs  sixteen  stone  —  double  chin  —  buz 
wig  —  shovel-hat,  and  all  that.  A  thousand  pities,  though  !  — think  there's 
-an  otter  in  the  Willow  Brook  —  know  there's  a  badger  in  Warner's 
Wood." 

The  conversation  now  took  a  turn  of  little  interest  except  to  the  two 
sportsmen  engaged  in  it,  consisting  of  a  series  of  such  narratives  as  may  be 
found  daily  under  the  usual  heading  of  "Extraordinary  Fox-chase,"  or 
"  Remarkable  Run  with  Mr.  So-and-So's  hounds."  Instead,  therefore,  of 
circumstantially  drawing  Cubsy  Cover — finding  at  Barkham  —  losing  at 
Foilham  —  making  a  cast  towards  Sniffington  —  runnins  him  to  East  Split- 
ting—  then  to  West  Splitting  —  throwing  up  again  at  Botherham  —  chal- 
lenging at  the  Hand-post  —  rattling  off  to  Bumpin^ton  —  changinof  him  at 
Shufflebury  —  trying  back  to  Puzzleworth  —  hark  forward  again  to  Skurry 
Mead  —  viewing  him  at  High  Squinny  —  hard  pressing  him  through 
Squashy  Bottom,  leaving  Tidy  Hall  to  the  left  —  making  in  a  direct  line 
for  Killingham  —  through  Furrow  Field,  Clayworth,  Splashbury,  MuHdins- 
t.on,  Diistworth,  Great  Purley,  and  Little  Purley,  Upper  Spraining,  and 
Lower  Spraining  —  one  hour  and  forty-five  minutes  —  and  losing  him  up 
a  drain  at  Long  Nikey  ;  —  instead  of  bestowing  all  this  tediousness  on  the 
Teador,  we  will  give  a  brief  descripiion  of  Sir  Mark's  familiar. 


60  TYLKET  HALL. 

Mr.  Edward  Somcrville,  commonly  called  "  Squire  Ned,"  was  one  of 
those  cheerful,  infrenious,  obliging  persons,  with  a  host  of  little  accomplish- 
ments, who,  like  Will  Wimbfe,  are  sure  to  find  a  welcome  in  every  house. 
In  fact,  he  had  the  run  of  the  parish,  from  the  fireside  of  the  Manor  House 
and  Rectory,  to  the  chimney-corner  of  the  small  farmer.  As  the  popular 
character  well  expressed  of  him,  he  was  every  body's  friend,  and  nobody's 
enemy  but  his  own  ;  the  latter  clause  referring  to  various  personal  injuriea 
which  lie  had  accidentally  incurred  at  his  own  hands.  He  had  lost  the 
sif^ht  of  his  left  eye  through  some  experiments  in  percussion  firing,  (an  in- 
vention  lime  has  since  ripened,)  — and  a  vermin  trap  of  his  own  construc- 
tion had  snapped  off  two  of  his  fingers ;  his  left  arm  had  been  fractured  by 
a  kick  from  a  colt  of  his  own  breaking ;  and  he  limped  a  little  in  walking, 
through  falling  with  a  scaffold  of  his  own  contrivance,  while  superintending 
the  erection  of  a  cottage  on  an  original  plan.  But  of  the  cottage  more 
onon.  In  the  field  he  was  invaluable  —  nobody  could  find  a  hare  —  mark 
down  a  cock  —  or  make  a  cast,  so  well  as  the  Squire  :  and  he  was  almost 
as  indispensable  at  the  Hall,  particularly  when  the  Baronet  had  a  fit  of  the 
gout,  which  only  allowed  him, to  kill  his  fox  at  second-hand  in  Ned's  de- 
scription. Moreover  he  could  listen  as  well  as  talk  ;  and,  above  ail,  was 
an  indefatigable  player  at  backgammon  or  cribbage,  Sir  Mark's  favourite 
games,  and~at  which  Ringwood,  Raby,  and  even  the  Creole,  were  too  apt 
to  degenerate  into  "  sleeping  partners." 

It  was  presumed  that  IS'ed  was  either  a  bachelor  or  a  widower,  for  nobody 
ever  ascertained  which  ;  all  that  could  be  learned  from  him  was,  that 
"  when  he  put  on  his  hat  he  covered  his  whole  family."  Indeed,  he  was 
never  known  to  be  visited  by  afty  one  who  claimed  the  remotest  relation- 
ship ; —  but  in  default  of  kin  he  centred  his  whole  affection  on  Ringwood, 
whom  he  loved  with  as  much  love  as  some  economical  fathers  would  make 
suffice  for  a  long  dozen  of  sons. 

The  curious  were  equally  at  fault  about  his  means  of  living ;  he  had 
bought  a  few  acres  of  freehold,  on  which  he  had  built  himself  a  cottage ;  and 
he  paid  ready  money  for  everything  ;  which  was  all  that  was  known  with 
regard  to  his  revenue.  As  for  the  cottage,  it  was  a  perfect  Merlin's  cabi- 
net of  mechanical  contrivances,  such  as  "  open  sesame"  doors,  self-acting 
windows,  spring  closet,  and  knick-knacks  in  clock-work  ;  in  short,  it  con- 
tained such  a  century,  or  rather  Millennium  of  Inventions,  that  if  each  had 
claimed  its  gold  or  silver  medal  from  the  Society  of  Arts,  the  Arthur  Aikin 
of  that  period  must  have  gone  with  all  his  firm  into  the  Gazette.  One  part 
of  the  building,  however,  still  held  Ned's  ingenuity  at  defiance,  namely,  an 
uncompromising  chimney,  the  draft  of  which,  according  to  the  Polish  game 
of  drafts,  was  apt  to  take  backwards,  and  discharge  all  the  smoke  into  his 
sitting-room.  In  consequence,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, the  refractory  pot  was  seen  about  once  a  month  with  a  new  cowl  on 
its  head,  each  differing  quite  as  much  in  shape  and  fashion  from  its  prede- 
cessor as  the  last  new  bonnet  from  Paris. 

To  return  to  the  Hall.  After  killing  a  score  of  foxes  over  again,  the  Ba- 
ronet and  the  Squire  adjourned  to  the  drawing-room,  where,  after  tea,  Mrs. 
Hamilton  retiring  early,  they  betook  themselves  to  one  of  the  favourite 
games ;  nor  did  they  give  over  throwing  dice,  and  taking  up  blots,  and  tak- 
ing off  men,  till  towards  the  smallest  of  the  small  hours;  —  for  like  Gar- 
gantua  and  Pantagruel,  in  Rabelais,  they  had  appetites  not  to  be  satisiied 
by  any  ordinary  quantity  of  gammons. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  g} 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"  She  is  far  from  the  land" 

Moore's  Irish  Melodies. 

"  One  day  whilst  under  sail  we  were  becalmed  near  a  little  island,  even  almost  with 
the  surface  of  the  wefer,  which  resembled  a  ^reen  meadow.  Tne  Captain  ordered  his 
sa.is  to  be  furieo,  and  permitted  such  persons  as  had  a  mind  "o  laud  upon  the  island, 
atnongst  whom  I  was  one.  But  whilQ  we  were  diverting  ourselves  with  eating  and 
drink'.nj,  and  recovering  ourselves  from  the  fatigue  of  tlie  sea,  the  island  on  a  sudden 
trembled  and  shoojc  us  terribly  *  ♦  *  *  For  what  we  took  for  an  island,  was 
only  the  back  of  a  whale." 

Sinbad's  First  Vovage. 

"  As  the  day  is  bright,  and  the  air  mild,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  when  she 
rose  the  next  morning  from  the  breakfast-table,  "  I  should  enjoy  a  stroll  in 
the  pleasure  grovmds  and  the  Park;  but  I '11  not  trespass  on  your  time, 
Mark,  for  I  shall  take  Tibbie  with  me  ;  the  poor  body  v/ill  die  else  of  sup- 
pressed Scotch." 

Accordingly  she  sent  a  summons  by  the  footman  for  Tibbie,  who  (quickly 
made  her  appearance  in  her  usual  morning-dress,  part  of  which,  mdeed, 
belonged  to  the  night ;  namely,  a  short  white  jacket,  and  a  cap,  the  strings, 
of  which,  however,  were  now  untied,  allowing  two  lappets  to  hang  down 
by  the  side  of  her  face,  like  the  ears  of  a  beagle ;  her  lower  garment  was  a 
dark  blue  petticoat,  and  as  for  her  shoes,  she  held  them  in  her  right  hand, 
and  her  stockings  were  in  her  left. 

"  Hoot  awa',  Tibbie,"  exclaimed  her  mistress,  somewhat  disconcerted  at 
the  apparition,  "  ye  ought  to  have  minded  that  you  're  no  at  Glencosie  the 
noo.  —  Did  'nt  I  forewarn  ye  against  gangin  barefoot,  while  ye  were  dress- 
ing me  this  very  morning  ?" 

'*  It's  no  my  wyte,  Mem,"  replied  Tibbie,  very  indignantly,  "the  flunkie 
tauld  me  I  was  wanted  momently  —  Deil  hae  me,  but  I  'se  gie  him  a  heezie 
for  't  —  the  off-taking  ne'er-do-weel !  my  certie,  he  maun  be  worth  his  fee, 
a  daundering  swankie,  that 's  aye  daffin  wi'  the  limmers  and  laupies  — 
that 's  a'  his  darg." 

"Well,  well,"  interrupted  her  mistress,  "  enough  said  —  you're  wanted 
to  walk  with  me,  so  go  to  your  busking"  —  and  away  padded  the  Scotch- 
woman to  prepare  herself  for  the  promenade. 

"  Guineas  to  shillings,"  said  the  Baronet,  "it  was  a  trick  of  Jerry's  to 
hurry  up  Tibbie  in  her  dishabille:  I  '11  warrant  she's  as  good  as  a  cock  at 
Shrovetide,  for  'em  to  fling  at  in  the  kitchen.  But,  by  Jove  !  she  seems 
able  to  hold  her  own  against  them  all,  like  an  old  ram  in  a  dog-kennel !' 

"No  fear  of  Tibbie  among  the  women,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  laughing, 
"if  they  measure  tongues  with  her,  she  will  have  a  claymore  against  a  dirk  : 
as  for  the  men,  she  cowed  them  all  at  Glencosie,  not  excepting  the  Laird 
himself.  But  she 's  a  faithful  devoted  creature  ;  and  to  save  or  serve  me 
would  walk  on  hot  ploughshares,  ay,  as  barefoot  as  you  saw  her  just  now." 
So  saying  she  retired  to  put  on  her  bonnet  and  shawl ;  and  soon  afterwards 
the  Baronet,  who  had  watched  at  the  window,  saw  her  walking  in  the 
garden,  followed  by  Tibbie  in  shoes  and  hose  ;  the  rest  of  her  costume, 
whatever  it  mis:ht  be,  even  to  her  cap,  being  enveloped  in  the  memorable 
"  Harlequin  cloak." 

The  alterations  which  twelve  years,  as  well  as  the  hand  of  man,  had 

wrought  in   the  pleasure-grounds,  fully  occupied  the   attention  of  Mrs, 

Hamilton  ;  and  Tibbie,  somewhat  dashed  by  the  rebuke  and  the  ridicule 

which  attended  her  morning  debut,  walked  after  her  equally  silent,  and 

4* 


62  TTLNEY   HALL. 

equally  ruminative,  on  the  wonderful  changes  which  only  four  days  had 
eflected  in  all  that  concerned  herself. 

At  last  the  lady  stopped  before  some  moss-grown  fragments  of  what  had 
once  been  a  summer-house,  formerly  her  favourite  retreat,  but  now  in  ruins. 
As  she  looked  at  the  masses  of  brickwork  which  cumbered  thf  ground,  she 
could  not  help  sighing,  and  murmuring  a  reflection  on  the  desolation  shla 
surveyed. 

*'  This  then  is  all  that  remains  of  my  beautiful  summer-house,  where  I 
spent  so  many  happy  hours  !  — But  the  pleasure  is  dead  and  gone  ;  and  it 
is  better,  perhaps,  that  its  abode  should  perish  too.  Tibbie,"  she  continued, 
addressing  her  follower,  "  you  would  little  think,  lass,  that  yonder  ruin 
was  once  as  bonnie  a  bower  for  a  lady  as  ever  was  sung  of  in  an  auld- 
warld  ballad." 

There  is  an  old  superstition,  that  a  ghost  may  not  speak  till  it  has  been 
spoken  to  ;  and  the  Scotch  woman'3  tongue  seemed  to  have  been  spell- 
bound by  some  similar  injunction  ;  for  the  moment  she  was  thus  appealed 
to,  she  be^an  to  talk  like  a  spirit  pressed  for  time  to  say  all  its  say  before 
cock-crow. 

"  O  mem,"  she  exclaimed,  "Gude  send  there  may  be  nae  waur  ruining 
than  yon  1  We  're  no  come  ae  blink  owre  sune  ;  mortal  fut  never  cam  mtil 
a  hoos  in  sairer  need  o'a  redding-up.  Lorsh  keep  us,  the  Laird  wad  be 
for  risin  up  frae  the  mouls  un'  there  were  sic  wastry  at  Glencosie.  As 
fac's  death,  I  saw  yon  cheil  in  the  scarlet  coatie,  and  the  corked  breeks, — 
the  In-whupper  I  think  they  ca'  him  —  devoorin  the  cauld  beef,  and  the 
loaf-breed,  and  drinkin  yill,  nae  less,  till  his  parritch-timel  And  yon  silly 
doited  carline,  Deborah,  to  stand  lookin  on  at  the  fellow  without  flyting, 
—  no  but  it  wad  be  fushionless  flyting,  wi'  siccan  a  hoast.  Then  there's 
thae  yowlin  dowgs  out- bye  maun  hae  mair  otmeal  than  wad  be  a  neivefu' 
the  piece  to  the  hale  generation  o'  gaberlunzies  and  blue-gowns.  Folk  say 
Sir  Mark  Tirl  has  gowd  by  gowpens  —  but  siller  has  an  end  to't  as  weel 's 
a  coo's  tail  — there  maun  be  a  down-come  —  there  maun  be  a  down-come.'* 
"Never  fash  yourself  about  the  siller,  Tibbie,"  replied  li^er  mistress, 
"  I'll  answer  for  its  lasting  out  from  one  year's  end  to  another." 

"And  for  my  part,"  answered  Tibbie,  "I'll  no  neglect  ony  thing  to.haud 
the  gear  thegither.  As  for  the  In-whupper,  I'm  thinking  I'll  mak  him  aa 
gleg's  a  gled  to  sup  crowdy  ;  wi'  a  taste  o'  a  sower  cog  at  an  orra  time!  " 
But,  O  mem  !  would  it  no  be  a  providential  thing,  and  I'm  sure  it's  my  daily 
peteetion  til  the  Throne  of  Grace,  that  He  wad  send  down  the  hydrophoby 
among  they  wastful  tykes,  and  gar  ilk  ane  devoor  his  neebour,  by  way  o* 
sunkets  ?  But  the  dowgs  are  naething !  There's  thretty  naigs  for  the  tod- 
hunting,  for  I  countit  them  myself —  mair  by  token,  I  never  saw  sae  mony 
horses  thegither  but  ance,  when  the  cawvalry  were  pitting  down  the  meal- 
mob  at  Dundee.  I'm  tauld  butcher-meat  is  at  tenpence  the  pund  —  but,  O 
mem  what  maun  be  the  price  o'  tod's-flesh  grantin  it  ever  cam  intil  an 
ashet,  het  or  cauld  ! 

"If  you  are  wise,  Tibbie  woman,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "you  will  not 
make  or  meddle  with  either  dogs  or  horses  at  Tylney  Hall." 

"  Weel,"  replied  Tibbie,  adroitly  changing  her  point  of  attack,  "  folk  that 
will  to  Cupar  maun  to  Cupar.  As  weel,  aiblins,  be  eaten  out  of  house  and 
ha'  by  hounds  and  horses,  as  by  a  wheen  upsettin  flunkies,  and  fliskma- 
hoys.  The  vary  fees  o'  'em  wad  be  a  tocher  for  a  laird's  daughter !  But 
the  tae  half  o'  them  shall  ken  the  but  frae  the  ben,  or  the  mouth's  dune,  as 
shure's  my  name's  Cowmel.  I  jalouse  tlie  huntsman  and  the  in-whuppers 
havena  sae  muckle  wark  out-bye,  but  that  they  can  stand  ahint  the  chairs, 
and  hand  aboot  the  ashets.  Div  ye  no  think,  mem,  ane  of  the  in-whuppers 
mi^ht  be  spared  whiles  to  drive  the  coach  :  for  in  course,  mem,  he  can 
whup  horses  as  weel  as  dow^js  ?" 


TTLNEY  HALL.  63 

In  this  strain  Tibbie's  tongue  continued  to  run  on  for  some  time,without 
any  interruption  from  her  mistress,  who  was  not  a  httle  amused  at  the 
whimsical  alterations  that  were  suggested  in  her  brother's  household.  They 
had  now  turned  into  the  park,  and  were  skirting  a  very  extensive  sheet  of 
water,  which  lay  between  them  and  the  house  ;  when  at  an  exclamation 
from  Tibbie,  the  lady  looked  towards  the  avenue,  prepared  to  see  "  the 
King  comin  or  the  provost  o'  Edenbro'  at  the  least," 

In  truth  a  yellow-bodied  carriage,  with  a  coachman  and  footman  in  sky- 
bluc-and-orange  liveries,  a  scarlet  hammcrcloth,  and  two  gray  horsss,  with 
"lots  of  bright  brass  bees  on  the  harness,"  made  a  considerable  glitter  in 
the  sunshine,  as  it  swept  along  towards  the  Hall.  At  some  distance  in  the 
rear,  followed  a  dark  green  chariot,  with  drab  liveries,  drawn  by  two  bays  ; 
the  whole  equipage  bearing  the  same  proportion  in  splendour  to  the  pre- 
ceding one,  as  the  Lord  Mayor's  private  carriage,  to  that  showy  gilt  ginger- 
bread vehicle,  his  coach  of  state.  While  the  Scotchwoman  gazed  with 
unfeigned  admiration  at  the  procession,  her  mistress  looked  with  some 
embarrassment,  first  at  the  house,  and  then  at  the  water,  a  sheet  not  very 
broad,  but  of  considerable  length. 

"  Oh,  Tibbie,"  she  exclaimed,  "we  are  in  a  pretty  dilemma!  Yonder 
go  visiters  to  the  Hall ;  and  here  am  I,  who  ought  to  meet  them,  on  the 
wrong  side  of  the  lake.  It  will  take  half  an  hour's  walking  to  get  round  it 
at  either  end." 

"  Never  fash  yoursel,  mem,  aboot  that,"  repUed  Tibbie,  "while  there's 
yon  bit  boat  to  the  fore.  I'll  tak  ye  o'er  in  no  time  ;  I  ken  that  wark  weel  J 
Mony's  the  time  I've  been  wi'  Saundy  in  the  coble,  puir  fallow,  before  he 
went  to  the  sea." 

So  saying  she  jumped  into  the  boat  with  great  agility,  and  cast  off  a  rope 
at  the  stern,  by  which  it  was  made  fast  to  a  post  on  the  shore ;  the  wind  at 
the  same  moment  making  a  sail  of  her  "  Harlequin  cloak,"  and  blowing 
the  skiff  at  the  rate  of  nine  knots  an  hour  towards  the  mitldle  of  the  water. 

"  I  have  no  much  faith,"  muttered  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "in  Tibbie's  seaman- 
ship. But  for  God's  sake,  what's  the  matter?"  she  called  out  to  her  ferry- 
woman,  seeing  that  she  wrung  her  hands  and  went  through  other  panto- 
mimical  signals  of  distress. 

"  Oh  mem,  oh  my  leddy,"  shouted  Tibbie,  "  there's  nae  sculls  ;  and  the 
ill-faured  boat  is  chained  wi'  a  chain  at  it's  neb !  Here  I  maun  sit  till 
doomsday,  gin  I  cannabrak  the  chain,  or  pu'  up  the  bottom  o'  the  loch !" 

"  Deuce  take  the  woman,  with  hor  boating,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  she's 
moored  there  fast  enough  !"  The  little  vessel  indeed,  after  swinging  round, 
had  brought  up  with  its  head  to  the  wind  ;  and  there,  in  the  stern,  sat  the 
Tartan  woman,  a  second  Lady  of  the  Lake, 

"With  eyes  upraised   and  lips  apart, 
Like  monument  of  Grecian  art," 

and  particularly  that  monument  associated  with  "sedet  aeternumque  sedebit.'* 
"  There's  nothing  to  be  done,''  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  but  to  sit  steady 
till  I  can  send  somebody  from  the  Hall." 

"  Od  mem,"  shouted  Tibbie,  "I'm  sfayan  like  to  sit  steady  when  there's 
a  hole  in  the  boat,  that  lets  a'  the  water  in  the  moment  I  tak  of  my  thoom. 
Lord'  sake,  mem,  dinna  be  lan^  sending!  But  I'm  thinkin,amang  a'  thae  braw 
court  gentry,  ye'll  mind  nae  mair  o'  puir  Tibbie  Cawmel  than  o'  a  pickmaw. 
"  I  would  as  soon  forget  a  mermaid,  if  I  had  seen  one,"  answered  Mrs. 
Hamilton  ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  saying  that  "  women  and  cows  should  never 
run,"  she  Sf.'t  off  at  h«>r  best  speed  for  the  Hall,  wlience  she  des})atched  the 
first  man-servant  she  met,  to  the  rescue  of  her  handmaiden.  After  a  hasty 
toilet,  she  then  made  her  appearance  in  the  drawing-room,  where  she  found 


64  TYLNEY   HALL. 

her  brother,  and  was  introduced  to  his  visiters,  namely,  Mr.  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Twiiig,  and  T.  Twigg,  junior ;  Mr.  Justice  Rivers,  and  his  lair 
daughter  Grace.  In  reply  to  a  remark  from  the  Baronet,  on  the  length  of 
her  walk,  she  entered  into  a  narrative  of  poor  Tibbie's  mishap;  Twigg 
fidgeting  on  his  seat  during  the  description,  like  an  impatient  orator  who 
had  something  to  say  on  tiie  matter  in  'land  ;  but  when  he  heard  of  the  boat 
swinging  offinto  the  middle  of  the  water,  he  could  contain  no  longer. 

•'  Damn  all  boating,"  he  exclaimed  abruptly,  "  I  knew  how  it  would  end! 
I  was  once  near  being  boated  into  eternity  myself." 

"Don't  mention  it,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  the  remembrance  sets  me  all  of 
a  shiver." 

"But!  icill  mention  it,  Madam,"  answered  Twigg,  "for  as  there  are 
youn;^  people  present,"  here  he  looked  at  Miss  Rivers,  "it  may  serve  as  a 
warning.  You  must  know,  Mrs.  T.  and  self  determined  last  summer  to 
take  a  holyday,  and  so  we  took  advantage  of  a  general  fast  and  shut- up, 
for  a  day's  pleasure." 

"  As  you  speak  before  young  persons,"  interrupted  the  Justice,  "  and  by 
way  of  warning,  I  feel  bound  in  duty  to  remark,  that  his  Majesty's  Royal 
Proclamation  ought  to  have  been  better  observed." 

"And  so  he  does,  Sir,"  interposed  Mrs.  Twigg;  "we  have  always 
fasted  religiously,  ever  since  we  was  able  to  afford  it.  Every  Shrove-Tues- 
day  we  have  pancakes,  as  sure  as  the  day  comes ;  and  hot  cross-buns  on 
Good  Friday,  and  salt  fish  and  egg-sauce  on  Ash- Wednesday." 

"Nobody  keeps  Lent  stricter  than  I  do,"  continued  Twigg,  "  but,  says 
you,  a  man  that  has  known  what  it  is  to  want  a  meal,  ought  to  know  how 
to  fast.  The  time  has  been  when  salt  fish  with  egg  sauce,  and  pancakes, 
would  have  been  like  a  Lord  Mayor's  Feast.  But  fasting  has  nothing  to 
do  with  a  day's  pleasure.  Well,  my  own  vote  was  for  Hornsey-wood 
house  :  but  as  the  boys  are  fond  of  rowing,  they  were  both  for  boating  up  to 
Richmond,  and  so  was  Matilda,  and  Mrs  T.  —  that  we  might  have  a  pic- 
nicking cold  collection  on  the  grass." 

"  I'll  never  dine  on  any  grass  again,  except  sparrow-grass,"  said  Mrs. 
Twigg,  with  a  laugh  at  her  own  joke  ;  "  it  gave  me  the  lumbargo  for  a 
month.  I  knew  how  the  damp  would  rise  with  water  all  around  us  ;  but 
Mr.  T.  was  obstinate,  and  insisted  on  laying  the  cloth  on  a  littie  island, 
to  be  like  Robinson  Crusoe." 

"  It  was  called  an  Ait,"  said  Miss  Twigg  affectedly,  "  and  had  a  verdant 
tree  in  the  middle." 

"  To  be  sure,"  said  Twigg  gravely,  "  I  ought  to  have  remembered  that 
the  Thames  was  a  tidy  river,  and  always  rising  and  falling  like  the  stocks. 
Well,  there  we  were  —  hamper  unpacked  —  cloth  spread  —  pigeon  pie  — 
cold  ham  —  cold  fowl —  cold  punch  —  everything  cold  and  comfortable  — 
when  all  at  once,  says  Mrs.  T.  with  a  scream,  "  Mercy  on  us,  the  island 's. 
getting  littler  !'  And  sure  enough,  as  we  watched,  the  water  kept  creeping 
on  and  creeping  on,  till  it  came  to  the  edge  of  the  table-cloth  and  threaten- 
ed to  swallow  up  everything!  There  we  were,  in  eminent  danger,  and  no 
boat ;  for  those  d  —  d  boys  had  gone  up  the  d  —  d  river  after  some  d  —  d 
swans." 

"Haw!  haw!  haw!"  burst  out  the  graceless  Twigg,  junior;  "and 
when  we  came  back,  and  looked  for  the  island,  there  was  'Tilda  singing 
out,  on  the  top  of  the  tree  ;  and  mother  roosting  a  little  further  down  ;  with 
father  hugging  the  trunk,  up  to  his  coat-flaps  in  water !" 

"None  of  your  levity,  Sir,"  said  Twigg  very  sternly:  "if  I'd  been 
drowned  through  your  swan-hopping,  you  would  n't  be  in  the  station  in  life 
you  enjoy." 

"Stealing  a  king's  swan,  young  man,"  said  the  Justice  solemnly,  "is 
capital  felony,  without  benefit  of  clergy." 


TTLNEY   HALL.  65 

"  I  assure  you,  Sir  Mark  Tyn-el,  Baronet,"  resumed  Twigg,  "  my  re- 
flections, when  I  saw  the  devouring  elernent  raging  round  us,  was  very 
serious  —  very  serious  indeed  !  Plere  's  a  situation,  thinks  I,  for  a  man  ot 
my  property." 

"  Egad!"  said  Sir  Mark,  smilincr,  "  or  for  a  man  of  no  property."       "* 

"I  declare  I  could  have  cried  with  vexation,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  to  see 
the  good  table-cloth  floating  away  ;  and  the  hamper,  and  all  the  nice  eata- 
bles, being  squamped.  As  for  the  silver  forks  and  plate,  it  was  all  lost  in 
the  deep  ;  for  though  we  paid  a  waterman  something  handsome,  to  look 
for  them  when  the  island  came  up  again,  he  never  brought  us  nothing  but  a 
mustard-pot  full  of  mud  !" 

"Very  provoking  indeed,  madam,"  said  the  Baronet.  "But  if  you're 
fond  of  angling,"  he  continued,  addressing  Twigg,  "you  should  have  got 
a  punt,  and  fished  on  the  spot  directly  ;  for  what  with  the  pigeon-pie,  the 
cold  ham,  and  so  forth,  you  had  the  ground  baited  rarely  for  barbel.  I  only 
hope,  Grace,  that  you  will  not  take  fright  at  this  story,  and  give  up  our  boat 
excursions  on  the  lake  ?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  answered  Grace,  "  while  the  vessel  has  so  skilful  a 
master  as  the  Squire,  and  so  expert  a  mate  as  Ringwood." 

"Oh,  it  must  be  delightful,"  exclaimed  Miss  Tuigg.  "  For  my  own 
part,  I  don't  mean  to  give  up  going  on  the  water  —  and  lakes  are  so  ro- 
mantic! And  besides,  nobody  ever  endangers  and  frightens  one,  except 
one's  own  brothers." 

"  It's  all  your  own  fault,"  said  young  Twigg,  "  if  sisters  didn  't  squawk 
out  so,  and  go  into  kicking  hysterics,  there  'd  be  no  fun  in  frightening  'em. 
But  I  '11  be  bound  Miss  Rivers  knows  better  how  to  behave  in  a  boat." 

"  I  really  cannot  answer  for  my  behaviour,"  said  Grace,  "  if  1  had  to 
climb  into  a  tree  for  my  life,  like  King  Charles  the  Second." 

"  Well,  I  '11  warrant  then,  you  're  no  coward  on  land.  Miss,"  said  young 
Twigg,  with  as  gallant  an  air  as  he  could  assume  ;  "  would  you  believe  it, 
mother  made  faces  all  the  way  here,  and  would  have  it  the  horses  were 
running  away  —  though  nothing  was  taking  fright  but  herself.  And 
there 's  'Tilda  won't  walk  out  for  fear,  'cause  she 's  three  times  seen  a  dark 
woman,  like  a  gipsy,  about  the  lanes." 

"  As  for  me,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  I  don  't  care  who  knows  it,  but  I 
wasn't  used  to  a  carriage  till  late  in  life:  and  two  hackney-coach  horses,  you 
know,  Sir  Mark,  is  one  thing,  and  a  pair  of  spirity  rumbustical  high-mettled 
animals,  is  another  ;  and  they're  mettlesome  enough,  though  Mr.  T.  bought 
grays  on  purpose,  as  being  the  oldest,  and  likely  to  be  most  steadiest."  ' 

"Pooh,  pooh,  Mrs.  T."  said  Mr.  Twigg,  "the  horses  go  no  better  than 
they  should  do;  only  you're  so  confoundedly  timid!  Matilda's  right 
though,  about  the  brown  woman,  for  I  don  't  half  like  her  myself.  I  'm 
sure  she  's  a  thief,  by  her  face  ;  and  says  you,  a  man  ought  to  know  what 
a  thieving  face  is,  who  has  set  as  sheriff  at  the  Old  Bailey.  I  '11  lay  six- 
Dence  she  has  often  been  worshipped  before  Mr.  Justice  Rivers  here." 

"  I  really  cannot  say.  Sir,"  returned  the  Justice  ;  "  but  there  are  laAvs 
against  trespassers  and  vagrants  —  and  if  the  woman  has  damaged  your 
property  or  annoyed  you  in  person,  by  begging  —  I  should  be  happy,  on 
your  information,  —  to  dischar^^e  my  duty  as  a  magistrate." 

"  Why  as  for  my  property,"  answered  Twigg,  "  I  can  't  say  she  has 
ever  taknn  so  much  as  a  stick  out  of  a  hedge,  or  a  mtjshroom  from  a  field ; 
and  so  far  from  beir^ins,  the  only  copper  1  ever  chucked  to  her,  she  duck- 
ind-draked  it  into  a  pond  !  My  lady,  thinks  T,  if  you'd  begun  life  like  me, 
you'd  know  a  hapenny's  a  hapenny." 

"  Thece  is  something  mysterious  about  her,  that  is  certain,"  said  Miss 
Twigg,  "  and  she  mutters  to  herself  so,  I  should  Taney  she  was  a  witch, 
only  she  does  not  look  old  enough." 


66  TFLNET   HALL. 

"I  believe,  mem,"  inquired  Mrs.  Twigg,  addressing  Mrs.  Hamilton, 
"you  are  a  good  deal  troubled  with  witciies  in  Scotland  j  I  have  been  read* 
ing  about  them  in  Macbeth." 

"  They  arc  not  so  rife  in  the  north,  Madam,  as  they  were  two  hundred 
years  ago,"  replied  Mrs.  Hamilton,  witli  difficulty  composing  her  face. 
"Some  few,  and  especially  the  Highlanders,  still  believe  in  the  influence  of 
the  evil  eye ;  and  attribute  to  it  a  mortality  among  their  cattle,  or  a  dearth  in 
their  dairies." 

"You  hear  that,  Mr.  Twigg,"  said  his  lady  with  an  awe-struck  face, 
and  a  tone  almost  sepulchral.  "We  make  no  butter  with  four  cows, — 
and  have  n't  a  drop  of  cream  to  our  teas.  And  as  to  cattle  going  into  the 
Bills  of  Mortahty,  did  n't  four  sucking  pigs  die  of  the  measles  last  week,  just 
as  we'd  made  up  our  minds  who  to  send 'em  to?  And  didn't  all  our 
chickens  go  in  pips,  as  fast  as  they  was  ready  for  the  spit  ?  And  did  n't  the 
calf  disappear  the  very  day  after  it  was  weaned  —  as  if  by  magic?  Sir 
Mark,  pray  what  is  your  opinion?" 

"  Faith,  Madam,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "it 's  my  belief  there  is  n't  a  witch  in 
the  parish,  —  let  alone  little  Grace  here.  And  if  Grace  had  an  evil  eye  in 
her  head,  she  would  have  murrained  a  cross-grained  cow  that  chased  her 
last  summer,  —  but  Ringwood  ran  up  just  at  pancake- time,  and  stopped 
the  tossing." 

"And  pray,  Mr.  Justice  Rivers,  what  is  your  opinion  of  our  strange 
losses  ?"  inquired  the  bewildered  Mrs.  Twigg. 

"Felony,  Madam  —  larceny  —  petty  larceny — fraud  —  embezzlement, 
and  breach  of  trust,"  responded  the  justice ;  "and  the  proper  remedy  is 
confinement,  —  whipping  —  branding  —  hard  labour  —  transportation  —  or 
HANGING  !"  he  added  in  a  tone  that  made  the  querist  involuntarily  look  up 
at  his  head  for  a  black  cap. 

"  I  knew  I  was  right!"  exclaimed  Twigg,  "from  the  very  first  day  we 
came  to  the  Hive,  I  've  suspected  every  servant  we  have  !  I  look  into  every 
thing  too,  with  my  own  eyes;  but  they're  cheating  me — I  know  it  — 
they're  cheating  me  every  hour  of  the  day  —  and  of  the  night  too,  d — n 
them  !     I  shall  never  close  my  eyes  in  peace  again  !" 

"  Nor  I  neither,  my  dear,"  sighed  his  help-mate,  "  for  we  must  burn  a 
light  in  our  room  for  the  future — and  that's  sure  to  keep  me  broad 
awake." 

"  It's  very  hard,"  said  Twigg,  "  for  a  man  of  my  property  to  be  always 
gnawed  and  nibbled  at  by  vermin,  like  a  cheese  among  rats  and  mice.  I  'U 
be  bound  at  this  very  moment,  if  one  knew  what  was  doing  behind 
backs  —  " 

"My  dear  Mr.  T."  exclaimed  his  partner,  jumping  up  from  her  chair 
as  if  she  had  discovered  a  pin  in  it,  —  "  we  are  really  staying  longer  than 
is  agreeable  to  propriety  at  a  first  visit!  But  I'm  sure  Sir  Mark  will 
excuse." 

So  saying  she  made  a  motion  as  if  to  sit  down  again,  but  it  was  only  a 
curtsey  ;  and  then  Miss  Twigg  rose  and  performed  a  very  elaborate  ciut- 
sev,  as  if  for  the  instruction  of  her  mother;  Twigg  on  his  own  part  made 
one  of  those  tradesman-like  bows,  when  the  body  bends,  but  the  legs  can- 
not for  the  counter,  —  while  his  son  kept  repeating  his  ducks  and  bobs  at 
Miss  Rivers,  whose  eyes  unfortunately  would  not  "come  to  the  bower." 
Every  body  received  one  invite  (and  some  two  or  three)  to  visit  the  Apiary 
at  Hollington  ;  and  then  the  family  scrambled  out  of  the  room,  and  iMto 
the  carriage,  —  Pompey  jumped  up  behind, — and  again  yellow  pannels, 
Bcarlet  hammer-cloth,  sky-blue-and-orange,  gray  horses,  and  bright  brass 
bees,  went  glittering  down  the  averme. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  Grace  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  looked  at  each 
other  for  a  moment,  and  then  burst  into  an  involuntary  laugh  ;  in  which 


TTLNEY   HALL.  117 

<hey  were  joined  by  Sir  Mark ;  while  even  the  stern  features  of  the  magis- 
trate relaxed  into  one  of  his  oriui  smiles. 

"  Well  Grace,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  do  you  think  you  shall  avail  your- 
self of  your  invitation  to  the  Hive?" 

"  I  fearl  shall  not  venture,"  replied  Grace.  "To  be  candid,  I  do  not 
admire  their  way  of  makiuji^  honey,  —  they  seem  to  gather  it  all  from  stmg- 
iL'xj-nettles." 

"  And  I,"  added  the  magistrate,  "  do  ndt  approve  of  their  mode  of  com- 
plying with  Royal  and  Ecclesiastical  ordinances .-  nor  of  the  young  man's 
freedom  in  sporting  over  private  manors.  You  heard  his  story  of  the  phea- 
sants, Sir  Mark  — nothing  less  than  a  direct  act  of  poaching,  in  the  eye  of 
the  law." 

"  Ignorance,  neighbour  —  mere  ignorance,  and  town-breeding,"  returned 
Sir  Mark,  "  you  cannot  expect  a  London  street-mongrel  to  come  down  and 
hunt  his  game  like  a  staunch  pointer.  But  'ware  hat !  I  have  a  dinner  in 
tiie  house,  that  will  want  justice  done  to  it,  and  egad,  you  shall  not  stir,  but 
on  your  own  recognizance  to  return  at  five  o'clock,  and  in  the  mean  time, 
you  may  as  well  leave  Grace  with  Kate  here,  by  way  of  bail." 

To  these  terms,  after  some  demur,  his  worsliip  assented  ;  to  the  great 
delight  of  his  daughter,  who  had  already  conceived  an  instinctive  liking  for 
Mrs.  Hamilton,  which  was  as  readily  returned,  for  no  one  could  remain 
long  in  Grace's  company  without  a  strong  prepossession  in  her  favour,  even 
when  she  had  not  the  advantage  of  such  a  foil  as  the  over-dressed  and 
under-bred  Miss  Twigg.  The  latter,  like  a  crimson  carnation,  showy  but 
artificial,  and  th£  former  like  a  moss-rose,  lovely,  natural,  sweet,  and  blush- 
ing from  the  rich  warmth  of  its  own  heart. 

The  dark-green  chariot  again  received  the  magistrate,  and  carried  him 
back  to  Hawksley,  that  he  might  impartially  re-examine  the  parties  suspect- 
ed of  murder  at  Hazel  Bridge,  by  hearing  the  nothing  tliey  had  to  say  for 
themselves,  and  the  everything  that  everybody  had  to  say  against  them. 

As  soon  as  the  Justice  was  gone.  Sir  Mark  went  to  inspect  bis  hounds, 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  sent  a  summons  to  Tibbie,  preparing  Miss  Rivers  be- 
forehand to  see  a  daughter  of  Eve  almost  as  original  as  her  great  mother. 

"  Well,  Tibbie,"  inquired  her  mistress,  "  how  did  ye  get  landed  —  I  hope 
you  were  not  wet  ?" 

"Ou  mem,"  answered  Tibbie,  "  I've  had  a  wearifu'  time  o't.  Ye  may 
thole  it  was  doom's  cauld  on  the  loch ;  and  Pze  no  uphaud  but  I  thocht 
whiles  o'  a  wee  drappie  o'  hett  toddy  —  but  wae's  me,  says  I,  div  ye  no 
mind,  lass,  it  was  a'  skailed  wi'  the  kist  ?•  And  Tibbie  woman,  says  I,  the 
King  himsel,or  the  Provost  o'  London  is  up  by  at  the  Ha'  —  an  here  ye  are 
sittin  without  sae  muckle  as  ae  keek  o'  him  to  write  o'  to  Glencosie.  'Od, 
mem,  gin  Sandy  were  fleeching  at  me  himsel  —  I  'm  thinking  he  'd  no  fleech 
mo  into  a  boat  after  yon  !" 

"  You  shall  have  sometliing  warm  to  cure  the  cold,  Tibbie,"  said  Mrs. 
Hamilton,  "and  although  you  have  wanted  a  sight  of  the  Kin";,  the  Pro- 
vost is  coming  back  here  to  his  dinner;  and  I  shall  need  your  help  in  dress- 
ing. Away  with  ye  then  to  my  chamber,  and  set  the  toilette  in  order,"  — 
and  off  Tibbie  trotted  ;  leaving  the  two  ladies  to  that  kind  of  small  talk, 
which  is  so  very  small  that  it  would  not  print  well  except  in  a  Diamond 
Edition." 


69  TYLNEY   HALL. 


CHAPTER  X\1I. 


"  Hark  you,  friend,  I  suppose  yon  don't 
Come  witliin  the  VagTawt  Act;  I  suppose 
You  have  some  settled  habitation?" 

Justice  Woodcock. 

"  You  have  a  daughter,  but  you  want  a  son  ; 
I  have  a  son.  Sir,  but  I  want  a  daughter  , 
Then  why  not  cure  our  double  wants  in  one. 
While  Heralds'  arms,  and  Love's,  together  quarter  ?" 

Anox. 

"  Tis  often  seen, 

Adoption  strives  with  Nature  ;  and  choice  breeds 
A  native  slip  to  us  from  foreign  seeds." 

All's  well  that  ends  WELr.. 

The  Justice  kept  his  appointment.  At  five  o'clock  he  returned  to  the 
Hall  with  his  hunger  much  sharpened  by  the  re-examination  of  the  twelve 
suspected  persons  ;  a  process  which  took  off  the  edge  of  their  stomachs  in 
the  same  proportion,  so  that  they  went  back  to  durance  with  httle  more 
appetite  than  Mr.  Wordsworth's  cattle,  forty  of  which  ate  only  like  one. 

"  I  am  come  to  surrender  to  my  bail,"  said  the  magistrate,  as  he  entered 
the  drawing-room.  "  It  has  been  sharp  work  though,  considering  the  heavi- 
ness of  my  calendar.     I  have  had  to  whip  and  spur." 

"  Ay,  I'll  warrant  the  car  of  Juggernaut  has  not  been  at  a  stand-still  in 
the  interval,"  replied  the  Baronet,  "  but  has  been  doing  its  twelve  miles  an 
hour." 

"  The  public  business  has  indeed  advanced  a  stage,"  replied  the  magis- 
trate. "I  have  discovered  a  clue  to  the  murderers;  and  moreover  I  have 
made  acquaintance  with  the  brown  woman  who  so  frightened  your  citizen. 
I  rather  think  she  will  wish  we  had  never  been  on  speakmg  terms.  I  as- 
sure you  I  read  her  a  lecture  —  with  my  black  cap  on,  as  Grace  calls  it, 
when  I  use  language  necessarily  severe." 

*'  I  pity  her  then,"  said  Grace,  in  an  under-tone  to  Mrs.  Hamilton  ;  "  to 
a  man  even  his  rebukes  and  frowns  must  be  terrible ;  but  they  must  strike 
a  woman  to  the  earth  !" 

"  And  pray,  Sir,  what  was  the  brown  woman's  offence  ?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Hamilton,  turning  round  somewhat  abruptly  towards  Mr.  Rivers. 

"  She  had  done  nothing  morally  wrong.  Madam,"  rephed  the  Justice, 
"  but  as  she  had  no  ostensible  means  of  living,  and  was  personally  unknown 
to  any  one  in  the  parish,  Gregory,  the  constable,  apprehended  her,  and 
brought  her  before  me,  that  she  might  give  an  account  of  herself." 

"  And  thereby  gratify  the  curiosity  of  the  village,"  said  the  Baronet, 
"  by  means  of  its  gossip-monger,  old  Gregory.  I  hope  when  he  had  her  at 
bay,  she  flew  at  him  like  a  marten-cat,  and  gave  him  a  taste  of  her  claws!" 

"  I  can  assure  you,  Sir  Mark,"  said  the  Justice,  "  your  client  is  quite 
competent  to  her  own  defence.  In  the  whole  course  of  my  experience, 
and  I  have  been  many  years  in  the  commission,  I  never  encountered  such  a 
temper  for  violence,  or  such  a  tongue  for  what  I  may  even  call  eloquence. 
Many  magistrates,  of  less  standing  and  nerve,  would  perhaps  have  been 
moved  by  it  to  forget  that  their  province  is  to  punish  not  to  pity.  But  a 
man  before  whom  the  human  heart  has  been  daily,  almost  hourly,  laid  bare, 
and  who  knows,  by  professional  investigation  and  dissection,  that  it  is,  as 
described  in  Scripture,  deceitful  and  desperately  wicked,  —  such  a  mania 


TYLNEY    HALL.  69 

proof  ajainst  that  specious  but  spurious  eloquence,  which  tiovvs  equally 
tVom  the  well-educaled  and  the  illitcnit'^,  lo  avert  the  penalty  of  crime, — 
from  the  lordly  stale  traitor  wlio  sees  the  axe  and  the  block  in  perspective, 
to  the  ba-je-born  felon  who  pleads  with  a  rope  round  his  neck." 

"Well,  heaven  bless  his  Majesty,*'  exclaimed  the  Baronet,  "for  not 
thinking,  when  he  is  making  justices,  of  Mark  Tyrrel !  I  can  hunt  any- 
thing  that  goes  upon  four  legs  ;  but  when  it  comes  to  running  down  any 
creature  upon  two,  whether  man  or  woman,  I'm  a  mere  cur.  I  remember 
when  Judge  Jenkinson  came  our  circuit,  I  thouorht  i*  my  duty  to  attend  at 
the  Assizes,  out  of  respect  to  his  Lordship  ;  but  I  was  dead  beat  at  my 
first  trial.  They  brought  in  a  prisoner,  like  a  bag-fox,  and  turned  him  down 
m  the  middle  of  the  whole  pack  of  judges,  and  jailers,  and  lawyers,  and 
witnesses,  without  a  chance  for  his  life.  He  was  mobbed  to  death  —  he 
was,  by  Jove  !" 

"  Fortunately  for  the  interests  of  social  order,"  returned  the  magistrate, 
*'  nature  makes  some  men  of  a  sterner  stuff.  As  a  mere  instrument  of  the 
law,  a  criminal  judge  ought  no  more  to  be  expected  to  sympathize,  than 
the  gallows  itself.  Were  the  sword  of  justice  so  softly  tempered,  that 
every  blow  made  a  notch  in  its  own  edge,  we  should  soon  have  it  worn 
down  to  the  hilt.  Such  was  not  the  metal  of  the  elder  Brutus,  when  he 
doomed  the  son  of  his  own  loins  to  death,  and  presided  at  the  execution!" 

"  Oh,  that  horrid  Judgment  of  Brutus  !"  said  Grace  in  an  aside  to  r^Irs. 
Hamilton.  "It  hangs  over  the  fire-place  in  the  study  ;  and  my  father  sets 
his  features  by  the  picture,  as  if  it  were  a  mirror.  I  wish  I  could  say  he 
did  not  regulate  his  feelings  sometimes  by  the  same  model ;  —  but  many  a 
poor  poacher  that  I  have  almost  begged  off,  has  owed  the  harshness  of  his 
sentence  to  a  glance  at  the  odious  Roman  stoic." 

*' Excuse  my  curiosity.  Sir,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  again  addressing  the 
Justice,  —  "but  at  the  risk  of  being  classed  by  my  brother  amongst  the 
village  gossips,  I  am  really  curious  to  know  more  of  this  mysterious  woman, 
whether  she  is  young  or  old,  handsome  or  u^ly  ?" 

"  She  possesses  at  least  the  remains  of  beauty.  Madam,"  replied  the 
magistrate.  "  As  for  age,  she  may  be  either  fifty  or  thirty  ;  for  irregular 
habits,  vice,  hard  fare,  and  exposure  to  weather,  cause  considerable  dif- 
ference in  the  external  signs.  But  I  should  state  her  at  not  more  than 
forty,  to  judge  from  the  brightness  of  her  black  eyes  and  the  fulness  of  hei 
figure  ;  her  arms,  indeed,  which  she  constantly  used  in  gesticulation,  vvert 
round  and  beautifully  turned." 

"Poor  creature,"  exclaimed  Grace,  "she  had  perhaps  seen  better  days' 
I  have  heard  of  children  of  good  parentage  being  stolen  and  brought  up  by 
gipsies  ;  and  who  knows  buL  it  may  have  been  her  fate  ?" 

"  Why,  truly,  if  sl>e  had  been  filched  from  a  noble  famil\;,"  said  the 
Justice,  with  one  of  his  grim  smiles,  "she  could  not  have  derived  a  haugli- 
tiei  bearing  from  her  birth.  In  spite  of  Gregory,  she  seated  herself  in  a 
chair  with  the  air  of  a  countess  ;  and  listened  to  his  o^cial  report  with  the 
invulnerable  nonchalance  of  one  conscious  of  the  privilege  of  the  peerage. 
I  can  well  fancy  the  dignified  toss  with  which  she  threw  Mr.  Twigg's  half- 
penny into  the  duck-pond  !" 

"  It  looks  like  good  blood,  that's  certain."  said  Sir  Mark.  "  Too  much 
spirit  and  action  to  have  been  a  get  by  Gipsy  out  of  Beggar,  —  grandsiro 
Tmker — grandam  Tramper  —  great-grandsire  Ratcatcher,  by  Costcrnion- 
ger.  Sand-man,  Knife-grinder,  and  so  forth.  Of  course  you  let  her  go 
for  the  sake  of  the  breed." 

"  I  DID  let  her  go,"  returned  the  Justice,  and  here  he  paused, "  lo 

the  County  Bridewell.  She  will  beat  hemp  there  for  a  month,  as  the  statute 
directs." 

This  announcement  caused  a  considerable  sensation  in  his  auditors  ;  S'n 
6—5 


70  TYLNEY    HALL 

Mark  ^ave  involuntarily  a  significant  whistle,  and  looked  at  his  sister;  who 
looked  in  turn  at  Grace  ;   who  looked  down  at  tlie  carpet. 

Possibly  tiie  Magistrate  interpreted  their  tlioiights,  for  he  immediately 
added  that  he  had  pui  it  into  the  woman's  own  power  to  mitigate  the  sen- 
tence, by  declaring  her  name  and  parish;  both  of  which  she  contemptuously 
refused  to  communicate.  Luckily  the  announcement  of  dinner  inter- 
rupted any  further  conversation  on  the  subject,  and  the  mind  of  the  Magis- 
trate, like  that  of  Justice  Greedy,  took  a  turn  towards  "  the  substan- 
lials." 

As  for  the  dinner,  the  bill  of  fare  shall  not  be  copied  here  in  print,  with  a 
circumstantial  description  and  criticism  of  all  the  made  dishes,  English  or 
French;  a  custom  as  impertinent  and  annoying  to  the  reader,  as  for  a  spec- 
tator at  a  theatre,  jammed  perhaps  in  a  hot  back-row  of  the  pit,  to  have  his 
eyes  treated  with  the  display  of  a  stage  banquet,  -and  his  ears  with  the  pop- 
ping of  corks,  —  whereupon  some  malicious  actor  advances  close  to  the 
lamps,  and  deliberately  quaffs  off'his  sparkling  Champagne,  iced  of  course, 
before  our  Tantalus's  face.  Suffice  it  that  they  dined;  and  then,  after  the 
ladies  had  retired,  the  Baronet  and  the  Justice  betook  themselves  steadily 
to  drinking  some  claret,  quite  as  good  as  La-Fitte  or  Chateau  Margaux, 
though  known  in  those  days  by  some  other  name. 

After  a  few  glasses  dedicated  to  the  old  standing  Tory  toasts  of  the  time, 
Sir  Mark  filled  a  bumper,  and  getting  on  his  legs,  drank  it  off' to  the  health 
of  "The  First  Favourite  for  the  maiden  Stakes,  —  Grace  Rivers  ;"  the  ce- 
remony ending,  according  to  an  old-fashioned  form  of  gallantry,  by  the 
glass  being  thrown  over  his  shoulder,  and  dashed  to  atoms  on  the  carpet. 
The  Justice  was  compelled  to  follow  the  example,  and  as  he  really  doted 
on  his  daughter,  he  acknowledged  the  compliment  in  a  warmer  tone  of 
feeling  than  could  have  been  expected  from  so  rock-like  a  source.  Unwonted 
moisture, —  "tears  such  as  angels  weep," — bedimmed  his  falcon-like 
eyes,  as  he  alluded  to  the  virtues  of  his  child,  her  frank,  open  disposition, 
and  her  affectionate  devotion  to  himself;  and  for  a  moment  the  stern  ma- 
gistrate seemed  devoted  to  no  other  laws  than  those  of  Nature.  In  con- 
clusion, he  filled  his  glass,  to  the  health  of  "Ringwood  Tyrrel,  the  Hope  of 
the  Hall,"  duly  honouring  the  toast  with  a  smash  of  glass  as  before. 

Sir  Mark  was  no  orator  :  he  made  no  attempt  even  to  express  his  feel- 
ings by  a  speech  ;  but  he  set  up  a  joyful  yoicks  !  which  said  quite  as  much 
—  and  seized  the  hand  of  the  Justice  and  shook  it  heartily.  He  had  been 
longing,  in  secret,  to  introduce  the  subject  which  lay  uppermost  in  his 
heart  ;  and  this  fortunate  coupling  of  Grace  with  Ringwqod,  seemed  to 
have  broken  the  ice  before  him. 

"  Egad,  neighbour,"  he  said,  "  I  'm  not  much  used  to  link  my  ideas  toge- 
ther with  dog-couples  :  but  tliis  toasting  of  your  daughter  and  my  son,  has 
put  a  strange  thought  into  my  head.  They  are  both  of  an  age,  both  of  a 
height,  or  thereabouts,  and  one  is  my  heir,  and  the  other  your  heiress,  which 
is  as  fair  a  start  as  heart  can  wish.  Suppose  vfe  were  to  lay  an  even  pony 
or  two,  which  will  be  married  first?  It  would  be  a  sporting  thing  ;  and  if 
Grace  comes  in  winner,  I  shall  enjoy  what  I  never  enjoyed  before  —  the 
loss  of  my  money  !" 

"  Why  then  done,  for  a  hundred,"  said  the  Justice,  who  like  country  gen- 
tlemen in  general  was  in  some  degree  a  sportsman  ;  and  the  generous  influ- 
ence of  the  grape,  moreover,  predisposed  him  to  enter  into  the  whim. 

"  Twice  !"  cried  Sir  Mark. 

"  Done  again  !"  replied  the  Justice. 

"Three  times?" 

"  Done  !  done  !  and  done !"  cried  the  Justice  ;  "  and  there  I  must  stop. 
And  pray  endorse  your  betting-book,  *  strictly  private,'  with  its  entry  of  a 
oortain  gambling  magistrate,  who  may  have  to-morrow  to  suspend  a  publi- 


TYLNEY   HALL..  71 

can's  license,  for  allowing  card  playing,  —  Jonas  Hanway  for  instance,  and 
his  whist  club  at  the  Rabbits." 

"You  may  suspend  me  with  the  license,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "when  you 
can  find  any  one  to  swear  to  their  playing.  But  be  easy  about  the  betting 
book  ;   we  will  be  only  \ipon  honour." 

"  By  the  way,  Sir  Mark,"  said  the  Magistrate,  "  thci:e  is  a  third  chance 
in  the  said  matrimonial  race,  that  we  have  both  overlooked  ;  the  possibility 
of  the  parties  coming  to  the  church  neck  and  neck  at  the  same  time  !" 

"  A  dead  heat,  by  Jove  !"  exclaimed  the  Baronet,  with  well-feigned  sur- 
prise, "  and  an  old  jockey  and  racer  like  me,  to  forget  that  such  events  may 
come  off!  Egad,  neighbour,  it  would  not  be  a  bad  way  of  hedging  our 
money,  eh?" 

"  Sir  Mark,  are  you  serious  or  in  joke  ?"  inquired  the  Magistrate. 

*'  Either,  at  your  ploasurf,"  returned  the  Baronet,  assuming  however  a 
gravity  of  tone  and  look  that  indicated  he  was  in  earnest.  The  moment 
had  come  to  speak,  but  he  was  puzzled  how  to  begin.  He  fidgeted  in  his 
chair,  filled  a  glass  of  claret,  and  gulped  it  down,  then  gave  a  loud  hem, 
and  then  three  very  bad  coughs. 

"  It 's  no  use  beating  round  the  bush,"  he  exclaimed  at  last,  "  when  the 
game's  a- foot !  I  think,  friend  Rivers,  our  ideas  and  wishes  are  packing  well 
together;  and  if  you  are  as  agreeable  as  I  am  to  the  match  between  Ring- 
wood  and  Grace,  all  I  can  say  is,  I  will  back  son  against  daughter  with 
you,  guinea  for  guinea  ;  —  and  the  dearest  desire  of  my  heart  will  be  ful- 
filledlo  boot!" 

"  To  be  candid  with  you.  Sir  Mark,"  replied  the  Magistrate,  "our  bowls, 
biassed  by  old  friendship,  have  been  aimed  at  the  same  jack.  Nothing  in- 
deed could  afl^ird  me  greater  pride  and  pleasure  than  such  an  alliance.  But 
as  neither  of  the  parties  will  be  of  age  for  a  year  or  two,  it  seemed  prema- 
ture to " 

"  Zounds,  man,"  interrupted  the  delighted  Baronet,  "  you  would  not  carry 
them  into  church,  would  you,  without  a  little  wooing  beforehand  ?  —  Cupid 
wants  training,  as  well  as  a  colt,  before  you  bring  hhn  to  the  post." 

"  Your  remark  is  just,"  said  the  Magistrate:  "for  my  own  part  I  will 
take  care  to  apprise  Grace  of  our  arrangement ;  and  that  henceforward  she 
is  to  consider  her  affections  ens^aged  to  your  eldest  son." 

"  No —  hang  it —  no,"  exclaimed  Sir  Mark.  "  Do  not  come  the  magis- 
trate over  her  neither!  It  will  be  time  enough  to  use  our  authority,  as  fa- 
thers, when  either  of  the  young  people  has  boiled  out  of  the  course.  We 
must  n't  inoculate,  but  let  them  take  it  naturally.  Love  is  a  plant  with  long 
straggling  roots,  and  the  gardener  who  attempts  to  pot  it —  no,  that's  not 
it!  —  but  it's  Kate's  sentiment,  and  a  very  good  one.  And  now  boy,  a 
bumper  to  a  better  match  than  was  ever  made  on  the  turf.  Tally  —  tally- 
ho  —  yoicks  —  yoicks  —  yoicks !  —  yo — icks  !" 

It  is  amusing  to  think  that  during  the  foregoing  conversation  of  the  two 
fathers,  the  unconscious  Grace  was  sitting  in  the  very  next  room, 

"  In  nmiden  meditation,  fancy  free  j" 

thinking  no  more  of  courtship,  marriage,  and  Ringwood,  than  of  squibbs, 
crackers,  and  Guy  Faux.  Her  lively  spirits,  her  sweet  temper,  her  natural 
g)od  taste,  and  artless  manners,  had  advanced  her  hourly  in  the  oi)inion  of 
Mrs.  Hamilton  ;  till  at  lust,  after  a  long  kind  look  at  her  fair  young  face  and 
graceful  figure,  that  lady  addressed  her,  in  a  tone  of  tenderness  that  thrilled 
through  her  very  soul,  as  "  her  dear  Miss  Rivers." 

"  If  I  may  beg  a  favour,  my  dear  Madam,"  she  replied,  "  pray  oblige  me 
by  foUowmg  the  precedent  of  Sir  Mark,  and  calling  me  only  by  my  Chris- 
tian name,  —  Grace,  plain  Grace." 


72  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  Well  then,  Grace,  my  dear  Grace,  did  you  ever  place  a  hollow  sea 
shell  to  your  ear,  and  notice  its  perpetual  sighing  for  the  waters  that  ou^ht 
to  fill  it  ?"  * 

Grace  sigtiified  that  she  had  often  done  so  on  the  coast. 
"  Come  hither  then,  and  tell  me  truly,  did  that  young  heart  of  yours  never 
feel  a  craving,  an  indescribable  craving,  —  as  if  there  was  some  aching  void 
in  it  that  required  filling  up  ?" 

The  question  sutTused  the  face  and  neck  of  Grace  with  a  deep  blush  ; 
out  it  lasted  only  for  ar.  instant  and  vanished  again  ere  she  had  pronounced 
the  first  word  of  an  answer. 

"  Indeed,  my  dear  Madam,  I  have  felt  it  often  —  always  at  the  sound  of 
one  word,  and  at  the  sight  of  one  action  ;"  and  she  concluded  the  sentence 
with  a  sigh. 

"  I  know  well  what  you  mean,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  pressing  her  own 
hands  to  her  bosom.  "  I  feel  it  here  at  this  moment —  here,  where  I  have 
felt  it  for  years.  Alone,  or  in  society —  in  joy  or  in  sorrow,  in  sickness,  in 
health,  here  it  is  —  the  same  intense  yearning,  everlastingly  crying  out  in 
its  agony.  Give  !  give  !  — Tell  me,  my  dear  Grace,  tell  me,  is  it  not  even 
thus  that  your  overcharged  heart  has  pined  for  a  mother  ?" 

*'  Oh,  God  knows  it,"  cried  Grace,  clasping  her  hands,  and  with  diffi- 
culty suppressing  the  tears  that  were  rushing  upwards  to  her  eyes  ;  *'  my 
heart  has  throbbed  almost  to  bursting,  at  the  sight  of  caresses  which  I  never 
—  oh  never  knew ! — never  can  know !" 

"Even  so,  Grace,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "have  I  been  wrung  with  an- 
guish, to  see  a  mother  embrace  a  daughter.  It  has  been  my  fate  to  grieve 
through  many  lonely  hours,  but  they  would  not  have  been  either  grievous  or 
lonely,  with  some  one  —  some  such  sweet  girl  as  yourself — to  love,  and  to 
love  me.  In  imagination  I  have  nursed  this  fair  hope  from  bud  to  blossom, 
into  even  the  full-blown  flower.  1  have  hung  and  treuibled  over  her  infancy — 
heard  her  lisp  her  first  accents  of  love  —  watched  the  little  sports  of  her 
childhood — and  have  been  the  confidant  of  the  secrets  of  her  girlhood. 
And  was  it  not  singular,  Grace,  that  the  daughter  of  my  poor  fond  fancy 
should  have  had  eyes  the  very  colour  of  your  own,  and  the  same  bonny 
brown  hair?" 

To  this  question  Grace  made  no  reply,  but  by  putting  both  her  hands 
into  those  of  Pvlrs.  Hamilton,  who  gently  drew  the  graceful  girl  towards 
her,  and  imprinted  a  kiss  on  her  forehead.  "  A  Welshwoman,"  she  con- 
tinued, "would  have  sworn  'twas  some  tie  of  blood  between  us,  that 
attracted  my  love  to  you  from  the  first  moment  of  our  meeting  !" 

**  And  mine  to  you,  my  dear  madam,"  added  Grace.  "  It  is  impossible 
I  could  remember  you  before  you  left  the  Hall,  and  yet  that  lady-like  figure, 
and  the  benign  smile,  and  the  low  gentle  voice  were  so  familiar  to  me,  that 
it  seemed  like  the  fulfilment  of  a  dream  !" 

"  It  is  the  fulfilment  of  a  dream,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton.  "  Our  stars  have 
spoken,  and  our  hearts  interpreted  the  oracle.  Henceforth  I  will  be  your 
mother,  and  you  shall  be  my  daughter,  the  dear  child  of  my  soul,  if  not  of 
my  body,  —  shall  it  not  be  so,  my  own  sweet  Grace?" 

"  O  for  ever  !  and  ever  !"  exclaimed  Grace,  throwing  herself  into  the  arms 
that  opened  to  receive  her.  "  And  here  begin  the  happiest  hours  of  my 
life!" 

"And  here  end  the  most  wretched  of  mine,"  said  the  widow,  caressing 
her  adopted  daughter  vvith  as  much  tenderness  as  belongs  to  many  real 
mothers.  "  Oh  Grace,  the  blessing  you  would  have  been  to  me  at  Glen- 
cosie '  Some  day  you  shall  know  all ;  but  for  this  evening  at  least,  the 
past  shall  not  sadden  the  present '" 

As  the  reader  is  aware,  there  had  been  with  regard  to  Grace  what  the 
ingenious  and  elegant  Mr.  Robins  would  call  "  a  bidding  in  two  places :" 


TYLNEY    HALL.  73 

and  at  the  very  same  moment  that  completed  her  maternal  adoption  in  the 
drawiriCT-room,  the  paternal  shout  and  view-holla  of  Sir  Mark  ascended 
from  the  dining-room,  in  honour  of  his  daughter-elect.  It  sug<iested  no 
other  idea,  however,  to  the  ladies,  hut  that  either  he  had  broken  "cover  with 
some  never-sufiiciently-to-be-recorded  fox;  or  that  he  had  taken  abundance 
of  wine,  and  would  be  the  better  for  a  never-sufficiently-to-be-announccd 
cup  of  tea.  Accordingly  Mrs.  Hamilton  rang  for  the  equipage,  and  made 
tea  ;  and  at  about  the  sixth  summons  the  gentlemen  put  in  an  appearance 
at  her  table,  both  certainly  a  little  elevated,  but  by  joy  rather  than  the  juice 
of  the  grape.  Indeed  the  Baronet's  head  was  so  full  of  his  favourite  idea, 
that  with  an  abstracted  air  he  walked  up  to  Grace,  and  gave  her  a  hearty 
kiss,  to  the  infinite  astonishment  of  the  young  lady  as  well  as  his  sister; 
and  not  a  little  to  his  own,  when  he  recovered  his  recollection.  The  Justice 
alone,  wlio  was  in  the  secret,  and  guessed  what  was  passing  in  the  mind 
of  Sir  Murk,  conceived  at  once  that  the  salute  was  anticipatory  of  the  mar- 
riage ceremony,  as  was  really  the  case  ;  and  his  grim  smile,  at  the  sheepish 
look  and  awkward  apologies  of  the  Baronet,  was  the  signal  for  a  general 
laugh.  All  the  parties  were  indeed  in  higher  spirits  tlian  usual,  and  the 
evening  passed  away  cheerfully;  and  before  they  separated,  Sir  Mark 
insisted  on  Grace  sinking  one  of  her  songs,  in  token  that  she  had  forgiven 
him  for  making  her  blush. 

Grace  immediately  seated  herself  at  a  piano  which  in  those  days  was 
reckoned  a  very  grand  one,  though  much  such  an  instrument  as  a  petty 
tradesman  now  selects  at  a  broker's  for  a  present  to  his  daughter  from 
boarding-school.  After  a  short  prelude,  she  sang  to  a  plaintive  Scotch  air 
the  following  words,  which,  as  a  corollary  to  what  had  passed  in  the  dining- 
VQom,  made  the  two  fathers  exchange  some  ver}^  significant  glances. 

"  My  mother  bids  me  love  a  lord. 

My  father  does  the  same,  ^.^  -» 

'"But  then  my  heart  has  made  a  ch6ice\ 
\pf  one  I  will  not  name  ;  -,.„-»— -""^ 

Mr^Jarents'  frowns  reject  the  suit, 

Their  angry  words  reprove, 

But  oh,  I  cannot  love  the  man 

My  mother  bids  me  love  I 

They  say  his  father  is  an  Earl, 
And  talk  of  high  degree. 
Broad  ribbons  and  a  star  for  him, 
A  coronet  for  me.  — 
1  care  not  for  the  eagle's  nest, 
But  Ddilding  with  the  dove, 
I  cannot,  cannot  love  the  man 
My  mother  bids  me  love. 

There  is  a  secret  voice  that  breathes 
A  fair  and  gentle  mind, 
There  is  a  certain  eye  that  tells 
A  heart  that's  warm  and  kind. 
There  is  a  vow  so  firm  and  fast, 
And  sealed  in  heav'n  above, 
That  oh  !  I  cannot  love  the  man 
My  mother  bids  me  love  ! 

My  father  frets,  my  mother  pinos, 
Their  heads  are  silver-gray, 
They  cannot  long  possess  a  will 
For  mo  to  disobey. 

D 


74  TYLNEY    HALL- 

I  would  that  I  were  m  ray  grave, 
This  anguish  to  remove, 
For  oh  !  I  cannot  love  the  man 
My  mother  bids  me  love." 

"Egad,  Grace,"  exclaimed  the  Baronet,  "you  have  chosen  a  sorrowful 
ditty;  Kate  there  is  ready  to  cry.  My  own  heart  was  at  feather-weight 
a  while  ago,  but  now  it  seems  carrying  six  pounds  extra.  I  hope  the  words 
are  none  of  your  own  making  ?" 

"  Raby  was  so  kind  as  to  copy  them  for  me,"  answered  Grace,  "  from 
some  hook  of  poems  in  your  library." 

"  Ay,  there  it  is,"  said  Sir  Mark,  looking  at  the  Justice  with  a  slight 
gloom  on  his  brow.  "  Catch  Ringvvood  at  copying  out  any  thing — barring 
a  '  recipe  for  making  boots  waterproof,'  or  a  '  cure  for  the  distemper.'  1  'li 
warrant,  Grace,  he  never  wrote  out  any  thing  for  you  in  his  life?" 

"Nothing  adapted  to  the  voice,"  answered  Grace,  with  an  arch  smile  •, 
"  but  Ire  once  obliged  me  with  autograph  directions  how  to  make  German 
paste  for  my  singing-birds." 

"  And  St.  Kitts?"  asked  the  baronet. 

"  Your  nephew  used  formerly  to  copy  poems  for  me,"  replied  Grace, 
**But  our  tastes  did  not  coincide;  and  he  grew  tired  of  extracting  from 
Rochester  and  Sedley,  whom  I  could  not  relish,  —  and  he  had  as  little 
liking  on  his  own  part  for  my  old  favourite  Herrick." 

"  Come,  Grace,  come,"  said  the  magistrate,  rising  abruptly  from  his  chair, 
*'  it  is  time  to  return  to  Hawksley, —  or  must  I  read  the  Riot  Act  and  dis- 
solve this  meeting  according  to  law  ?  I  have  to  look  over  the  HazeJ-Bridge 
evidence  before  I  go  to  bed.  Sir  Mark,  you  will  remember  our  bet  for  the 
Maiden  Stakes  ?" 

"  Three  hundred,  even,  the  colt  against  the  filly  —  and  may  neither  of  us 
win  !"  said  the  Baronet,  with  a  knowing  wink  and  a  warm  shake  of  the 
nand.  "  As  for  you,  Grace,  I  see  that  you  and  Kate  have  cottoned,  and  1 
need  not  bid  you  come  again  soon  to  the  Hall !" 

*'  Miss  Rivers  has  been  so  kind  as  to  promise  to  come  often,"  said  Mrs. 
Hamilton.  "  I  am  to  have  the  happiness  of  her  society  at  least  once 
a  week." 

"  God  bless  you  then,  Grace,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  and  send  you  ability  to 
keep  your  word.  The  boys  will  be  home  soon,  and  then  I  shall  kiss  and 
court  you  by  proxy  —  but  that's  only  a  joke." 

Thus  they  parted,  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  retired  to  her  room,  and  the 
Baronet  to  his  bed,  to  dream  of  weddings  and  rings  and  white  favours,  as 
if  bride-cake  had  been  placed  under  his  pillow. 

"  Well,  Tibbie,"  said  the  lady,  as  the  Scotchwoman  helped  her  to  undress, 
"  how  has  all  fared  with  you  the  night?" 

"  Od,  Mem,"  replied  Tib.bie,  "  it 's  just  extraordinar,  my  head  's  rinnin 
round  like  a  peery!  I  'm  thinlung  the  justice-wark  will  he  cannily  dune 
the  morn's  morn,  when  the  Provost  and  Sir  Mark  Tirl  hae  been  at  their 
high  jinks.  As  fac  's  death,  Mem,  for  I  keckit  in  at  the  door,  I  saw  tne 
Provost  casting  the  wine-glasses  owre  his  shouther  to  play  smash  upon  the 
flure!" 

"  An  old  English  custom,  Tibbie,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  by  way  of 
doing  honour  to  a  health.  Formerly  it  was  common  for  gentlemen  to  cast 
their  cravats  of  Mechlin  lace,  or  their  perukes,  on  the  fire-grate,  according 
to  the  example  of  the  proposer  of  the  toast." 

"  Macklin  crawvats,  and  perukes  !  Gude  safe  's  1"  exclaimed  Tibbie, 
M'ith  an  appropriate  elevation  of  her  eyes  and  hands.  "  My  certie,  it's  no 
wonder  thae  EngUsh  hae  siccan  a  Nawtional  Debt,  as  they  ca  't !  Douce 
Dawvid  Nicol,  —  and  he 's  the  cashier  o'  the  Dundee  Bank,  —  did  never  the 
like  o' that!" 


TYLNEY   HAI.L.  75 

"  But  the  kitchen,  Tibbie,"'  inquired  the  mistress,  "  how  came  ye  on  with 
the  strange  servants!" 

"  By  my  troth,  Mem,"  said  Tibbie,  "  they  were  camsteary  eneuch.  Yon 
prejink  flunkies  wha  cam  wi'  the  Provost,  were  owre  upsettin  to  drir.k  yili, 
but  chappit  on  the  butler,  to  bring  ben  the  port  wine  and  the  sherry  wine 
as  affhand  as  in  a  change-house,  where  they  were  gaun  to  pay  the  lawin'. 
But  1  'm  thinking  I  gied  them  a  screed  o'  flyting,  instead  o'  yon  fule  body 
Deborah.  '  Drink  awa',  Sirs,'  says  I,  '  drink  awa',  ye're  a'  coming  to  pigs 
and  whistles!'  But  I  might  have  spared  my  breath  to  cool  my  parritch  ! 
Here  's  t'  ye,  Tibbie,  cries  ane,  and  here  's  t'  ye,  Tibbie,  cries  anither,  and 
here  's  t'  ye,  Tibbie,  cries  yon  Jerry,  and  send  ye  gude  yill  and  gude  custom 
at  the  Pig  and  Whistle  !" 

"  Never  fash  yoursel,  Tibbie,"  said  the  Mistress,  "  wi'  the  likes  —  you  're 
no  at  Glencosie." 

"Ou,  Mem,"  said  the  Scotchwoman,  "it  'maist  gars  me  greet  to  see  the 
dinging  down  o'  the  glass  and  the  cheeny,  and  the  siller-spunes,  wi'  their 
pliskies. —  Div  ye  no  tliink,  Mem,  it  would  be  a  saving  o' siller  to  write 
north  for  a  hantle  o'  wooden  quaichs  and  bickers  and  horn  spunes,  for  nae 
doot  they  '11  be  for  emitatin  their  betters,  and  casting  their  drinkin-cups  owre 
the  shouther  ?" 

"  It 's  a  serious  question,  Tibbie,  and  I  must  sleep  upon  it,"  replied  Mrs. 
Hamilton  ;  and  with  this  quietus  she  dismissed  the  handmaid  to  her  own 
pillow,  to  dream,  if  one  may  guess  at  her  night- visions,  of  a  mad  bull  in  a 
china-shop. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

And  If  a  merry  meeting  may  be  wished,  God  prohibit  it !" 

Dogberry. 


He  shall  be  endured  — 


What  goodman  buy  ?    I  say  he  shall.     Go  to. 
Am  I  the  master  here  or  you?     Go  to." 

Old  Capulet. 

"  Patience  perforce  with  wilful  choler  meeting, 
Makes  my  flesh  tremble  with  their  difTerent  gree'ing 
I  will  withdraw  ;  but  this  intrusion  shall, 
Now  seeming  sweet,  convert  to  bitter  gall." 

Tybalt. 

"  Between  us  two  let  there  be  peace  ;  both  joining 
As  join'd  in  injuries,  one  enmity 
Against  a  foe  by  doom  express  assign'd  us, 
That  cruel  serpent." 

Paradise  Lost. 

Hilary  term  ended  at  last,  to  the  great  dpliijlit  of  Squire  Ned,  who  looked 
upon  Ringwood  as  his  adopted  son  ;  a  relationship  originating  in  sporting, 
like  that  of  Cotton,  the  angler,  with  "  his  Father  Walton." 

He  acceded,  therefore,  with  great  glee,  to  a  proposition  from  Sir  Mark, 
that  they  should  ride  together  on  horseback  as  far  as  the  first  stage,  to  meet 
and  welcome  the  young  Collegians  ;  while  Dick  the  huntsman,  and  the 
wliipper-in,  should  follow  with  led  horses,  for  the  use  of  the  students. 

"A  clever  little  nag  that,"  said  tlie  Squire,  after  a  long-eyed  look  at  a 
brown  gelding,  that  Dick  was  leading,  "  knows  how  to  go  —  capital  action." 

"  A  picture,  isn't  he?"  said  the  Baronet.  "  I  bought  him  last  week,  by 
way  of  a  surprise  to  Ringwood.     He  was  bred  by  i»ld  Toby  Sparks,  at 


76  TYI.NEY    HALL. 

Hollington  ;  l)y  Jiggunibob,  out  of  Tolderol,  by  Diddledumkins,  Cockalo- 
rum, and  so  foitb." 

"An  odd  fish  old  Toby,"  said  the  Squire,  "always  gives  'em  queer 
names  —can  jump  a  bit  no  doubt?" 

"  He  jumps  like  a  Ilea,"  said  Dick,  "  and  as  for  galloping,  he  can  go  from 
anywhere  to  everywhere  in  forty  minutes,  — and  back  again." 

"Glad  of  it,"  said  Ned,  "just  the  thing  for  Ringwood — all  ready  eh!" 
here  he  looked  at  his  watch,  "Go!" 

And  aw^y  they  trotted,  the  Squire  keeping  his  horse  a  little  in  the  rear  of 
the  Baronet's,  a  position  which  enabled  him  to  divide  his  conversation  be- 
tween Sir  Mark  and  the  huntsnjan,  who  now  and  then  exchanged  a  sentence 
with  the  whipper-in,  as  he  followed  with  two  led  hacks ;  and  in  this  order 
they  took  to  the  road.  Occasionally,  at  a  signal  from  the  Squire,  they  slack- 
ened or  increased  their  speed  ;  and  so  well  did  he  time  the  pace,  that  they 
arrived  at  the  Green  Dragon  at  *  *  *  *  just  as  the  Oxford  coach  had 
stopped  to  change  horses. 

"Well,  my  boys,  welcome  home  again,"  said  the  Baronet,  shaking  them 
successively  by  the  hand  ;  while  the  Squire,  after  a  nod  a-piece,  gave  Ring- 
wood  an  affectionate  slap  on  the  back  that  would  have  corrected  a  smaller 
child. 

"Been  tooling  the  tits,  eh?"  he  said  ;  "very  pretty  team  —  near  wheeler 
lame  behind"  —  he  continued,  as  he  critically  watched  each  horse  as  it  went 
smoking  and  shaking  its  tail  into  the  stable-yard.  "  Glad  to  see  you,  Ring- 
wood,"  here  another  slap.  "  Old  Hilary  has  n't  rubbed  off  any  of  your  bloom." 

The  eye  of  the  father  made  a  similar  remark  that  Ringwood  looked  rather 
more  florid  than  usual ;  while  the  complexion  of  Raby  was  somewhat  paler 
than  common,  —  the  natural  results  of  too  much  port  and  claret,  and  an  ex- 
cess of  Greek  and  Latin.  As  for  St.  Kitts,  his  cheeks  wore  the  old  brown  — 
A  tinge  somewhat  resembling  that  of  an  undoubted  "  portrait  by  Rembrandt" 
in  a  picture-dealer's  window.  At  the  same  time,  the  three  faces  were  as 
different  in  expression  as  in  colour,  —  the  Creole's  implied  indifference;  that 
of  Raby  beamed  with  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  a  mind  at  peace  with  itself, 
somewhat  heightened  by  the  pleasure  of  meeting  his  father  ;  but,  in  spite  of 
its  healthy  hue,  the  countenance  of  Ringwood  was  saddened  by  a  cast  of 
anxiety  and  gloom  ;  hinting,  too  probably,  that  he  looked  back  on  time  and 
money  equally  misspent  at  college.  His  quick  eye,  however,  detected  at  a 
glance  the  new  acquisition  to  the  stable,  and  every  thought  of  self-reproach 
for  the  follies  or  vices  of  the  heir  of  Tylney  was  lost  in  the  consideration  of 
the  many  good  points  about  the  offspring  of  Jiggumbob  and  Tolderol.  From 
this  reverie  he  was  roused  by  the  voice  of  his  father. 

"  Well,  how  do  you  think  he  will  carry  you  —  for  he  is  all  your  own,  my 
boy,  from  the  bridle  to  the  crupper?" 

"If  he's  old  Sparks's  colt,  Sir,  he's  the  very  one  I  've  long  set  my  heart 
upon,"  answered  Ringwood.  "  But  if  he  's  meant  as  a  college-prize,  Sir,  he 
belongs  more  to  St.  Kitts  than  to  me;  and  to  Raby  more  than  either." 

"Raby  be  d — d,"  the  Squire  was  about  to  say,  but  he  suppressed  the 
words,  and  contented  himself  with  tacitly  expressing  his  opinion,  by  snatch- 
ing the  bridle  of  the  horse  in  question  and  turning  him  round  with  his  head 
to  Ringwood  and  his  tail  to  Ral>y. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  the  Creole,  "  I  disclaim  any  idea  of  rivalry  in  onr 
studies  —  and  am  pained  to  think  my  cousin  has  suggested  any  inquiry  as 
to  our  relative  progress  at  Oxfor.-l." 

"Sink  the  letter  then,"  said  Ringwood,  in  an  under  tone,  at  the  same 
time  shifting  to  the  off-side  of  the  horse,  and  affecting  to  examine  his  fore  feet. 

"You  forget —  I  am  upon  honour,"  repUed  the  Creole,  in  the  same  tone. 
And  stooping  into  the  same  position. 

"Why  then  — take  care  of  yourselves !"  cried  Ringwood,  springing  into 


V  TTLISEY    HALL.  77 

the  saddle,  and  stnkino  tVie  spurs  into  the  horse  with  such  suddenness,  thai 
St.  Kitts  only  escaped,  by  a  desperate  spring  backwards,  being  thrown 
down  and  trampled  under  foot, 

"  Confound  the  fellow  —  he  will  start  tlie  mail,"  cried  Sir  Mark,  catching 
the  head  of  one  of  the  leaders,  who  seemed  inclined  to  improve  upon  the 
then  rate  of  travelling,  by  running  away  witli  the  coach.  However  Ring- 
wood  continued  to  spur  desperately  on,  as  if,  Byron-like,  he  was  under  some 
excitement  that  was  to  be  w^orked  off  by  hard  galloping;  in  fact  when  he 
returned,  he  w^as  covered  with  dust,  and  the  panting  steed  was  in  a  lather 
of  sweat  and  foam.  "  He  is  not  a  roarer  that 's  certain,"  he  said,  as  he  dis- 
mounted and  threw  the  bridle  to  the  whipper-in. 

"  Who  the  devil  said  he  was !"  cried  Sir  Mark.  "Dick,  see  him  thoroughly 
rubbed  down,  —  and  have  him  well  clothed.  Let  them  all  have  a  good  feed 
of  corn  —  and  mind,  Dick,  see  with  your  owm  eyes  that  the  Green  Dragon 
does  not  devour  it  for  them.  And  now  let's  in-doors  —  for  two  legs  must 
have  a  bait  as  well  as  four." 

As  they  went  in,  Raby  twitched  his  brother  by  the  sleeve,  and  caused  him 
to  remain  a  little  behind. 

"For  God's  sake,  and  for  your  own  sake,  Ringwood,"  he  said,  "don't 
show  this  spleen  before  our  father.  St.  Kilts  wdl  only  play  the  amiable, 
and  the  comparison  will  be  to  your  disadvantage." 

"  Right,"  said  Ringwood,  "and  thank  ye  for  the  hint:  he's  sure  to  run 
cunning." 

In  pursuance  of  this  line  of  policy,  Ringwood  discarded  his  reserve,  and 
laughed  and  chatted  as  if  determined  to  overcrow  the  Creole  even  in  mirth 
and  good  humour.  He  drew  humorous  pictures  of  college-comforts,  of  fresh- 
men, and  tuft-hunters,  of  bed-makers,  beadles,  and  barbers;  and  then  he 
gave  an  Egan-like  description  of  a  pugilistic  encounter  between  a  gowns- 
man and  a  bargeman,  that  made  the  squire  roar  with  laughter.  He  next 
entered  mto  an  animated  account  of  a  boat-race,  in  which  lie  had  rowed 
among  Ihe  winners ;  and  then  of  a  cock-fight ;  and  then  of  a  coursing- 
meeting,  well  attended  by  Oxonians  ;  to  the  evident  delight  of  his  father. 

After  such  stirring  subjects,  the  Creole's  description  of  an  examination, 
and  the  terrors  and  boggling  of  the  unprepared  ;  and  of  a  college-inquisition, 
and  the  speech  of  a  Proctor,  —  fell  dead  on  the  ear ;  the  organ  of  Ringwood 
excepted,  for  he  suspected,  and  perhaps  rightly,  that  the  narrative  contained 
some  covert  reference,  both  retrospectively  and  prospective!}-,  to  his  own 
career  at  codege.  At  any  rate  he  made  the  application  to  himself,  and  se- 
cretly resolved  to  be  avenged  at  the  first  opportunity :  he  indulged  liis  mood 
in  the  mean  lime,  by  throwing  a  threatening  glance  occasionally  at  the 
Creole,  w^hich  the  latter  received  with  a  calm  smile,  relying  on  his  ovvn  su- 
perior powers  of  retaliation  ;  even  as  the  malignant  viper,  which  will  bask 
lazily  in  your  very  path,  conscious  of  his  own  cruel  fangs,  and  daring  your 
foot,  whilst  the  unarmed  snake  startles  away,  more  fearing  than  feared,'into 
the  nearest  thicket. 

At  last  he  struck,  and  with  deadly  effect.  He  well  knew  how  to  "heap 
coals  on  the  head  of  his  enemy,"  by  dealing  with  him  to  all  appearance  ge 
nerously,  and  even  kindly,  where  less  politic  natures  would  avow  their  ani- 
mosity by  angry  looks  and  bitter  speech.  He  again  took  part  in  the  conver- 
sation, and  choosing  Ringwood  for  liis  themp  .repeated  in  flowing  terms  the 
praises  he  had  heard  lavished  at  Oxford  on  hi?»  .ntrepid  riding  ;  his  superior 
shooting,  which  had  made  him  the  crack  shot  of  the  Pigeon  Club  ;  his  ex- 
quisite driving,  four-in-hand,  on  the  box  of  the  long  coaches  ;  and  he  even, 
recorded  certain  Bacchanalian  feats,  at  which  his  subject  had  been  the  hero  ; 
adding  however  a  deprecatory  clause,  that  such  irregularities  could  scarcely 
be  at  all  times  avoided  by  a  young  man  at  the  University,  but  at  the  expense 


78  TTLNEY  HALL. 

of  personal  ridicule  and  insult,  and  that  he  had  felt  compelled  himself  to 
join  occasionally  in  such  orgies. 

The  Baronet's  face  glowed  with  pride  during  the  recital,  and  the  Squire's 
one  eye  glistened  with  absolute  delight:  but  Ringwood,  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life,  hoard  with  pain  and  disgust  an  acknowledgement  of  his  superior 
skill,  ardour,  and  success  in  all  the  various  branches  of  field  sports.  Neither 
did  the  younger  brother  listen  with  much  pleasure  to  the  next  topic  which 
the  Creole  thought  proper  to  introduce;  although  he  studiously  quoted  the 
very  high  eulogiums  which  had  been  pronounced  on  Raby's  acquirements, 
in  languages  and  classical  literature.  The  extreme  contrast  between  the 
reputation  of  the  two  brothers,  thus  artfully  placed  in  juxtaposition,  sug- 
gested an  inference  too  obvious  to  escape  the  mind  of  the  Baronet ;  who 
consequently  shrank  from  any  allusion  or  inquiry  to  scholarship  —  being 
sorrowfully  persuaded  that  his  favourite  son  and  heir  had  made  neither  step 
nor  stride  towards  any  degrees  except  the  geographical. 

The  unfortunate  victim,  whose  feelings  were  really  to  be  pitied,  actually 
writhed  in  soul,  under  the  infliction.  As  he  dearly  loved  his  father,  he 
could  not  witness  the  gloom  which  overcast  his  fine  jovial  countenance 
without  an  exquisite  pang  of  self-reproach;  and  bitterly  he  execiated  the 
folly  that  had  given  his  cousin  the  opportunity  of  such  a  triumph. 

"  The  hell-hound!"  he  said  to  himself,  "he  might  as  M'^ell  have  put  the 
letter  into  my  father's  hands,  before  all  present ;  but  cunning  as  he  is  in 
-unning  on  his  foil,  and  doubling,  he  shall  find  I  can  pick  it  out." 

In  the  mean  time  his  feelings  were  somewhat  soothed  by  receiving,  under 
the  table,  the  secret  pressure  of  a  kindly  hand,  which  he  knew  to  be  Raby's, 
who  took  this  method  of  showing  that  he  appreciated  and  sympathized  with 
his  situation.  It  was  the  act  of  a  friend  in  need,  and  Ringwood  acknow- 
ledged its  value  at  that  moment  by  a  grip  so  strenuous,  that  the  blood 
rushed  up  into  Raby's  cheeks,  who  with  difficulty  suppressed  an  exclama- 
tion. The  two  brothers  had  indeed,  in  some  degree,  forgotten  their  own 
differences,  and  .were  united  more  than  formerly  as  mutual  allies  against 
St.  Kitts,  who  by  some  vague,  indefinable  instinct,  they  had  begun  to  re- 
gard in  the  light  of  a  common  enemy. 

"  Here 's  good  luck  to  the  new  nag,"  said  Squire  Ned,  wath  a  nod  to  Ring- 
vvrood,  preparatory  to  a  long  pull  and  a  strong  pull  at  a  tankard  of  xx  ale, 
for  which  the  Grefin  Dragon  was  justly  famous.  "  A  roarer  eh?  —  sounder 
in  wind  than  I  am  !  —  can't  drink  a  pint  without  fetching  breath."  "  And 
here's  to  you,  boy,  yourself,"  he  added,  with  a  renewed  draught  in  honour 
of  Ringwood:  —  "nothing  but  a  good  fellow  —  upright  and  downright  — 
no  skulker  —  no  flincher  —  no  snake  in  the  grass!" 

With  the  last  of  his  negatives,  the  Squire  threw  such  a  significant  mean- 
ing into  his  one  gray  eye,  and  fixed  it  so  pointedly  on  the  Creole,  that  the 
latter  immediately  perceived  that  one  of  the  party,  at  least,  had  detected  the 
latent  origin  of  his  insidious  panegyrics.  Unlike  the  Baronet,  who  set  great 
store  by  an  University  education  —  honest  Ned  attached  no  earthly  value 
to  human  learning,  beyond  reading  and  writing ;  and  therefore  he  had 
listened  to  the  praises  of  Ringwood  as  a  sportsman,  with  an  unalloyed  rap- 
ture, only  equalled  in  degree  by  the  utter  apathy  with  which  he  had  heard 
the  encomiums  on  Raby's  classical  attainments.  It  was  not  till  he  noticed 
Sir  Mark's  depression,  that  he  suspected  the  sting  which,  like  Cleopatra's 
asp,  had  been  treacherously  introduced,  under  a  covering  of  fruit  and  flow- 
ers. His  unbounded  love  and  admiration  of  Ringwood  led  hini  naturally 
to  the  conclusion,  that  jealousy,  and  a  desire  of  supplanting  him,  were  the 
private  motives  of  the  West  Indian  ;  or,  as  he  forcibly  illustrated  it  by  a 
mental  comparison.  Sir  Mark  had  a  youn^  cuckoo  in  his  nest,  that  would 
eject  his  own  brood.  The  abrupt  trial  of  the  new  nag,  and  the  narrow 
escape  of  St.  Kitts,  were  no  longer  a  mystery;  and  could  human  eye  have 


TTLNEY  HALL.  79 

searched  the  Squire's  inwanl  hoart,  it  would  probably  have  detected  a  urk- 
ing  wish,  that  the  horse  had  tried  tlie  temper  of  his  shoes  on  the  skull  and 
brains  which  had  conceived  such  a  device  against  "  the  Heir  and  Hope  of 
the  Hall."  ^ 

Under  these  circumstances,  each  person  of  the  party  having  some  parti- 
cular cause  of  discontent  with  another,  it  may  easily  b'e  conceived,  that  the 
general  hilarity  fell  far  short  of  the  Baronet's  anticipations.  On  leavino-  the 
inn,  Ringwood  indeed  could  not  help  mechanically  admiriug  the  high  spirit 
and  fine  action  of  the  beautiful  animal  that  was  led  towards  him  ;  and  for 
a  moment,  he  looked  like  Shakspeare's  Young  Harry,  as  if  about  to  "witch 
the  world  with  noble  horsemanship;"  but  this  elasticity  of  body  and  spirit 
vanished  as  he  alighted  in  the  saddle,  and  the  Creole,  like  any  body's  Old 
Harry,  smiled  a  sardonic  smile,  to  witness  the  rankling  of  the  well-directed 
shaft.  The  Squire  was  infected  by  his  favourite's  gloom  ;  —  Sir  Mark  had 
a  grievance  of  his  ovvn ;  and  even  the  serene  mind  of  Raby  was  darkened 
by  the  shadows  of  clouds  which  hung  over  other  heads. 

For  some  miles  the  whole  company  rode  almost  in  silence;  at  last,  an 
abrupt  question  from  the  Baronet  revived  the  old  feud. 

"Ringwood,  —  what  name  do  you  think  of  giving  to  your  new  nag, — 
for  luckily,  Old  Sparks  hadn't  christened  him  with  any  of  his  ridiculous 
rumfoozles,  or  rumtyiddities  ?" 

"As  the  Squire  names  all  his  horses  and  dogs  to  begin  with  A,"  replied 
Ringwood,  "  I  make  a  rule  that  all  mine  shall  start  with  B.  I  think  of  caK 
in^  him  Brown  Bastard." 

The  last  two  words,  and  the  look,  which  put  them  as  it  were  in  italics, 
were  not  lost  on  the  Creole.  His  eyes  literally  flaslied  fire,  and  as  he  turned 
his  horse  towards  Ringwood's,  his  hand  made  an  involuntary  movement 
upward  with  his  riding-whip,  but  luckily  the  motion  was  too  slight  to  excite 
notice. 

*'  Bastard  a^ain,"  he  muttered  between  his  teeth,  "  do  you  wish  to  excite 
me  to  show.  Sir,  how  I  can  resent  an  insult  ?" 

"  Name  your  own  horses  as  you  please.  Sir,"  returned  Ringwood,  in  the 
same  under-tone,  —  his  hand  mechanically  gliding  from  the  butt-end  to  the 
fop  of  his  whip,  "  and  do  not  dare  to  interfere  with  mine." 

"Bastard,  eh?  —  proper  name  enough  for  a  colt,"  said  the  Squire,  unce- 
remoniously thrusting  his  hack  between  the  enraged  cousins.  "  Don't 
suppose  Jiggumbob  and  Tolderol  were  ever  married,  —  banns  or  license!" 
"This  is  my  quarrel,  Sir,  and  I  will  not  brook  meddling,"  said  St.  Kitts 
to  the  Squire,  with  the  same  guarded  tone  ;  but  in  spite  of  this  caution,  and 
the  prudent  manoeuvres  of  Raby,  who  endeavoured  to  divert  the  attention 
of  hi?  father,  the  Baronet's  quick  ears  had  already  apprised  him  that  there 
was  a  quarrel  on  foot,  though  he  had  not  discovered  its  drift. 

He  immediately  pushed  on  a  little  a-head,  where  he  wheeled  his  horse 
round,  and  halting  m  the  middle  of  the  road,  with  a  position  and  manner  of 
great  dignity,  he  addressed  them  as  they  came  up  three  abreast. 

"How  is  this,  lads?  —  how  is  this?  —  snarling  and  wrangling  between 
whelps  of  the  same  blood,  —  I  had  almost  said  the  same  litter  ?  Is  this  your 
respect  for  yourselves,  for  each  other,  for  me?  Do  you  want  to  hunt  these 
gray  hairs,"  (here  he  took  oflThis  hat,)  "to  earth  with  shame  and  sorrow?" 
"Hark  to  him!  hark!"  shouted  Ned,  at  the  same  time  doffing  his  own 
hat  in  sign  of  reverence  ;  "hark  to  the  old  one!" 

"Thank  ye.  Squire,  for  the  halloo  !"  said  the  Baronet,  "and  be  so  kind 
as  to  lead  the  field  at  a  foot-pace  towards  the  Hall,  whilst  Raby  remaias 
with  me." 

In  obedience  to  this  command,  they  all  passed  on  except  the  younger  son, 
who  reined  up  beside  his  father;  and  as  soon  as  the  others  were  out  of 
eight.  Sir  Mark  commenced  his  examination. 


80 


TYLNET  HALL. 


"  Raby,  you  know  I  hate  babbling.  Put  me  up  at  once  to  the  origin  of 
this  fall-out  between  your  brother  and  St.  Kitts,  for  I  winded  a  quarrel 
better  than  a  hundred  yards  back." 

"  I  believe,  Sir,"  answered  Raby,  "  it  may  all  be  traced  to  a  letter  which 
my  cousin  has  at  this  moment  in  his  pocket.  It  is  from  Jenkins  the  tutor 
to  yourself;  and  as  Jenkins  is  a  pedant,  and  Rin<iVvood  is  naturally  the  re- 
verse, I  declined  to  be  the  bearer  of  an  epistle  which  probably  reflected  on 
my  brother.  Ring  wood  refused  the  letter  from  the  same  suspicion,  and  I 
believe  he  feels  hurt  that  St.  Kitts  undertook  to  deliver  it. 

"  A  likely  cast,  Raby,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  and  my  own  observation  owns 
to  the  scent.  —  Ride  up,  man,  ride  up,  and  I  will  soon  see  if  it  holds  good." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  rejoined  the  others,  and  Sir  Mark  rode  up  to  the 
Creole  and  asked  for  the  letter. 

"  I  have  had  a  severe  struggle,  Sir,"  said  the  latter,  "  between  friendship 
and  conscience,  whether  to  suppress  or  deliver  this  unlucky  paper,  guess- 
ing the  contents  to  be  unpleasant  to  Ringwood,  and  I  believe  friendship 
Avould  have  got  the  better,  — but  Raby's  mention  of  it  leaves  me  no  alter- 
native." So  saying  he  delivered  the  letter  to  the  Baronet,  who  thrust  it 
unopened  into  his  pocket. 

"  You  hear  that,  Ringwood,"  he  said,  addressing  his  eldest  son.  — "  Your 
cousin  intended  to  hush  it  up.  Take  the  kindness,  and  shake  hands,  boys, 
shake  hands  at  once.  —  You  must  pack  better  together,  or  it  will  break  my 
heart.     I  fancied  I  could  cover  you  all  with  a  sheet." 

"  For  my  own  part,"  said  St.  Kitts,  "  I  am  perfectly  ready  to  forgive  aijd 
forget  any  personal  cause  of  offence,  —  and  which  possibly  originated  in  my 
own  misapprehension.  Will  my  cousin  not  say  the  same,  now  I  have 
spared  him  the  humiliation  of  making  the  first  advances  ?" 

But  Ringwood  remained  silent.  The  Squire,  however,  again  rode  in 
between,  and  endeavoured  to  join  their  hands,  almost  pulling  the  West  In- 
dian from  his  saddle  in  the  attempt. 

"  Still  mute  !"  exclaimed  the  Baronet,  rising  in  wrath.  "  Do  n't  forget, 
Ringwood  —  my  temper  is  spicy  —  and  if  I  once  get  in  a  passion  —  Zounds, 
Sir,  shake  hands  at  once,  or  I  will  dismount  you,  I  will,  by  Jove!" 

"  At  your  command.  Sir,  I  must,"  answered  Ringwood,  reluctantly  ex- 
tending his  hand  towards  his  cousin,  while  a  sudden  rush  of  blood  to  his 
face  showed  that  a  slight  smile  of  triumph  in  the  Creole  had  not  escaped 
his  notice.  "It  is  your  turn  to-day,"  he  muttered,  "  it  will  be  mine  to-mor- 
row." 

"That 's  well,  my  boys,"  said  Sir  Mark,  his  face  beaming  with  pleasure 
at  what  he  deemed  the  reconciliation.  ''As  for  this,"  he  said,  taking  out 
the  letter,  and  casting  it  over  the  little  bridge  they  were  crossing,  "  the  min- 
nows may  read  it,  for  me.  What  is  past  is  past,  and  I  will  not  turn  the 
heel.  So  if  any  one  here  has  neglected  his  duty,  let  him  go  on  Sunday  to 
church  and  hark  to  Dr.  Cobb,  and  when  it  comes  to  "  AVe  have  left  undone 
those  things  we  ought  to  have  done,  and  we  have  done  those  things  we 
ought  not  to  have  done,"  and  so  forth,  let  him  say  Amen,  with  all  his  heart, 
and  resolve  to  take  up  and  mend  for  the  future." 

The  lecture  had  its  due  effect  on  the  party  for  whose  benefit  it  was  in- 
tended :  for  Ringwood,  naturally  well-disposed  but  thoughtless,  from  the 
very  first  moment  that  he  witnessed  the  disappointment  and  vexation  of  his 
father,  had  been  framing  resolutions  to  apply  himself  more  diligently  to  his 
College  studies.  He  could  not  forget,  however,  that  the  wound  in  his  pa- 
rent's feelings  had  been  wantonly  irritated  and  probed  by  the  Creole  ;  whom 
he  regarded  therefore  with  unmitigated  hostility.  The  latter,  on  thb  con- 
trary, assumed  a  cheerl^ul  air,  and  affected  to  be  overjoyed  at  the  adjustment 
of  their  difference. 

"  St.  Kitts,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  you  arc  a  generous  fellow.    You  do  "'^^ 


TYLNEY   HALL.  8) 

Sit  frowning  on  your  horse  as  sulky  as  a  badger,  or  bristle  up  and  keep 
yourself  lo  yourself  like  a  hedgehog." 

"  He  Can  play  the  hypocrite  better  than  I  can,"  Ringwood  was  about  to 
answer;  but  he  suppressed  the  speech,  and  contented  himself  with  slack- 
ening his  pace  and  letting  his  horse  trot  alongside  his  brother's. 

"  Thank  ye  for  nothing,  Raby,"  he  said  so  low  as  not  to  be  overheard. 
"  Fou  had  an  opportunity  just  now  of  backing  me  with  my  father ;  and 
see  what  comes  of  it —  Gip  has  the  call." 

**  Indeed  you  wrong  me,"  replied  Raby,  "  I  said  merely  that  old  Jenkins 
was  a  pedant  and  that  you  were  none, —  and  that  St.  Kitts  had  undertaken 
to  deliver  his  letter,  atTier  you  and  I  had  declined." 

"  Out  of  infernal  malice,"  said  Ringwood,  "and  to  injure  me  with  my 
father  —  you  might  have  pitched  in  that.  When  I  want  a  friend,  give  mc 
an  out-and-outer  !  Such  a  friend  as  I  have  been  to  you.  Did  n't  l  back 
you  at  seven  to  four  for  the  prize  poem  —  and  never  hedged  ? 

"  But,  my  dear  Ringwood " 

"  Who  told  you  how  to  lay  your  money  at  the  running-match  atBulling- 
ton  ?  Who  put  you  up  to  the  trick  at  the  trotting-match  that  Scamp  was 
meant  to  win,  and  Fairplay  was  not  ?  Who  told  you  of  the  snug  little 
prize-fight  at  Headington  ?     Who  took  you  to  Mother  Boull's  ?" 

"  My  dear  Ringwood,  I  could  retort.  Who  rendered  into  Latin  for  you 
the  twentieth  Spectator?  Who  paid  your  tavern  bill  at  Pinkie's  ?  Who 
stood  your  friend  with  the  Proctor  in  the  affair  of  Widow  Wakeman  ? 
But  this  is  child's  play.  Your  own  temper  is  in  fault,  I  warned  you  not 
to  let  your  quarrel  break  out  before  your  father?" 

"  I  know  you  did,"  said  Ringwood,  rather  softened,  "  and  if  I  had  taken 
your  advice,  and  had  n't  let  loose,  I  should  be  now  in  a  better  place.  But  I 
can't  stand  nibbling  at  a  hindleg  ;  I  must  go  at  the  head  at  once.  I  can't 
help  it — it  's  in  my  nature  :  and  I  hate  St.  Kitts  as  Whop  hates  vermin." 

"  There  again,"  said  Raby,  "  you  are  always  in  extremes.  Is  it  not  pos- 
sible to  dislike  St.  Kitts  M'ithout  hating  him,  and  wanting  to  nail  him  up 
against  the  vermin  on  the  end  of  the  old  barn  ?" 

"Faith,  he  would  not  cut  a  bad  figure  among  the  polecats,  and  stoats, 
and  weazels,"  said  Ringwood,  smiling  bitterly  at  the  conceit.  "  He  can 
run  you  down,  bite  viciously,  and  hang  on  at  your  nape,  as  well  as  anv  of 
'em  !  He  would  be  a  jewel  of  a  specimen  to  rot  and  stink  among  the  sK.e- 
letons  of  Dick's  museum  !" 

Their  conversation  was  here  interrupted  by  the  halt  of  the  advance  ;  and 
Sir  Mark,  riding  back  to  his  two  sons,  desired  them  to  take  especial  care  of 
the  brown  woman  who  was  cominsf  along  the  road,  for  that  Mr.  Twigg 
said  she  was  a  witch,  and  even  Justice  Rivers  was  quite  at  fault  about  her. 
As  she  walked  towards  them  slowly,  they  had  leisure  to  remark  her  appear- 
ance. She  was  dressed  in  faded  mourning,  rather  brown  than  black, 
through  length  of  wear  or  exposure  to  weather ;  the  weeds  of  a  decayed 
widow,  one  of  those  sable  beings  that  seem,  like  the  ravens,  to  depend  on  a 
special  Providence  tor  their  sustenance,  they  have  apparently  so  little 
earthly  means  of  their  own.  Her  dress,  however,  though  coarse  and  ill- 
made,  could  not  conceal  the  symmetry  of  a  shape  that  had  belonged  to  that 
*'  order  of  fine  forms"  which  is  peculiar  to  the  half-caste  females  of  the 
West  Indies.  She  had  the  taper  waist,  the  full  round  limbs, and  the  grace- 
ful easy  carriage.  Moreover  she  had  the  abundant  black  hair,  curling  natu- 
rally into  ringlets,  too  inflexible  to  uncoil  thcmser>es  at  every  bnath  of  heat 
or  moisture  ;  and  her  eyes  were  f)f  as  dark  a  hue,  black  and  bright  as  can- 
r»el-coal,  and  equally  apt  to  emit  fire  and  fiame. 

As  soon  as  she  came  near  enoui;h,  the  Squire,  who  rode  a  little  a-head, 
jiun|M;d  off  his  hor.sf,  and  planted  liimself  before  her,  holding  out  what  re- 
mained of  his  right  hand. 
6—6 


82  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"Here,»'he  said,  "  sixpen'north  of  fortune  telling.  Won't  bilk  you — 
cross  with  silver  and  all  that !" 

"  The  wise  man  makes  his  own  fortune,"  said  the  woman,  with  great 
dignity,  "and  he  himself  best  knows  its  aspect." 

"  High-ropes,  eh  ?"  said  the  -Squire,  somewhat  abashed  by  this  rebuffl 
*•  Won't  look  at  my  palm  —  suppose  the  two  off-fingers  made  a  difference. 
No  matter  —  welcome  to  the  tizzy." 

"  Give  it  to  your  slaves,"  exclaimed  the  woman,  with  an  imperious  wave 
of  the  arm,  and  a  look  of  scorn  that  implied  as  much  contempt  for  his  silver 
as  for  Twigg's  copper. 

"  Egad,  boys,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "I  begin  to  think  the  Justice  is  right,  and 
that  she  comes  of  good  blood.  —  She  reminds  me  wonderfully  of  Mrs. 
What's-her-Name,  in  the  character  of  Cleopatra.  I '11  warrant  her  father 
was  at  the  very  least  the  King  of  the  Gipsies !" 

"  There  is  no  more  Gipsy-blood  in  my  veins,  than  in  that  young  gentle- 
man's," returned  the  woman,  pointing  her  finger  at  the  Creole  ;  and  gazing 
so  earnestly  on  his  face,  that  for  some  minutes  she  seemed  unconscious  of 
any  other  presence.  Her  mind  evidently  turned  inward,  and  she  had  the 
abstracted  look  of  a  person  revolving  the  past  or  the  future  with  intense  in- 
terest. At  last  she  spoke.  "  Although  no  gipsy,  I  have  some  skill  in 
augury,  and  if  you  will  favour  me,  young  gentleman,  with  your  hand" 

"  Try  her,  St.  Kitts,  try  her,"  exclaimed  Sir  Mark,  "  now  we  have  found 
her,  let  us  give  a  good  account  of  her ;  let  her  open,  man,  and  we  shall  soon 
see  if  she  gives  tongue  to  the  right  tune."  Here  he  drew  St.  Kitts  aside, 
adding,  in  a  lower  tone,  "let  her  cross  your  hand  with  a  crown  though,  for 
she  is  not  one  of  the  common  sort." 

In  obedience  to  this  direction,  St.  Kitts  gave  her  a  crown,  which  she  im- 
mediately transferred  to  the  huntsman,  with  the  air  of  one  accustomed  to 
bestow  such  largess  :  making  Dick  stare  with  as  much  amazement,  as  if  he 
had  seen  with  his  own  eyes  a  hare  turning  into  a  witch.  He  lifted  his  hand 
as  if  to  touch  his  hat,  but  checked  his  arm  midway,  —  and  then  sat  twirling 
the  coin  between  his  finder  and  thumb,  with  a  ludicrous  look  of  appeal  to- 
wards his  master ;  partfy  in  doubt  whether  he  ought  to  accept  it  from  a 
distressed  gentlewoman,  and  partly  in  fear  that  the  money  was  from  the 
Devil's  mint,  and  would  burn  a  hole  in  his  pocket. 

"  Pouch  it,  Dick  ;  pouch  it !"  said  Sir  Mark,  in  an  aside.  "  If  you  do  n't 
fancy  her  herself,  you  can  drink  it  to  the  health  of  the  Lancashire  Witches, 
or  any  others  you  like." 

Accordingly  Dick  pocketed  the  piece,  whilst  St.  Kitts  extended  his  hand 
to  the  fortune-teller,  who  grasped  it  between  her  own,  and  even  kissed  it, 
muttering  inaudibly,  and  at  the  same  time  trembling  so  that  it  was  visible 
to  the  eye,  as  if  feeling,  or  affecting  to  feel,  the  prophetical  agitation  of  the 
ancient  sibyls. 

"  There  is  a  black  cloud,"  she  said,  "  over  your  star,  —  but  there  is  a 
bright  sun  in  store.  Remember  me.  The  past  you  do  not  remember  — 
ihe  present  you  do  not  understand  —  the  future  you  cannot  foresee.  But  I 
know  it  all.  Remember  me.  You  have  but  one  present  trouble  ;  and  it 
concerns  a  gold  ring  for  a  lady's  finger." 

"  Hark  to  Gipsy  !"  shouted  the  Baronet ;  "the  old  story,  by  Jove !  To 
her!  St.  Kitts  !  —  to  her, —  to  her  again !  What  odds  she  do  n't  name  the 
lady  !" 

"  I  hope.  Sir,"  said  St.  Kitts,  "  you  are  already  satisfied  of  her  abilities 
as  a  Pythonessx  So  far  from  thinking  of  marriage,  I  give  you  my  honour  I 
am  not  even  an  hour  gone  in  courtship.  But  she  is  hke  all  her  tribe;  a  gold 
ring  and  a  bride-cake  are  their  staple  commodities." 

"  Not  so  fast,  young  man,"  said  the  fortune-teller.  "  There  arc  two  ends 
'o  a  knot,  and  two  interpretations  to  an  oracle.     Remember  me.     Some 


83 

lovers  may  long  to  see  the  third  finger  of  their  lady's  left  hand  in  a  golden 
circle, — and  some  sons  may  wish  that  their  mothers  had  worn  the  same 
emblem.    Remember  me." 

"  The  devil  remember  you!"  said  the  Creole,  who  almost  imagined  that 
the  evil  one  had  thrown  this  augury  in  his  path,  —  and  striking  the  spurs 
into  his  steed,  he  galloped  some  hundred  yards  a-head  as  if  to  escape  the 
comments  of  his  companions.  The  woman  silently  folic  wed  his  course 
with  her  eyes,  till  he  disappeared  behind  a  turn  of  the  road,  and  then,  with- 
out dei^rning  to  notice  any  of  the  questions  that  were  put  to  her,  resumed 
her  walk  in  the  opposite  direction. 

"  Egad,  it  looks  like  witchcraft  though !"  exclaimed  the  Baronet :  *'  she 
knew  where  to  have  him,  -^  and  bolted  him  like  a  rabbit !  Not  that  I'm  fond 
of  ferreting  into  futurity:  it  damps  a  man's  courage,  to  see  his  dangers  and 
misfortunes  so  long  beforehand  :  and  is  apt  to  make  him  boggle  and  stick 
in  the  middle,  when  a  gallant  charge  would  have  carried  him  through." 

"  It  was  nothing  but  chance,  father,"  said  Raby.  "  What  Shakespeare 
calls  a  random  bolt.  I  have  often  had  my  fortune  told,  —  for  the  Gipsies 
are  an  interesting  race,  and  what  I  had  read  of  them  excited  my  curiosity 
to  know  more  of  them.  These  fortune-tellers  are  excellent  physiognomists, 
—  you  saw  how  narrowly  she  watched  the  looks  of  St.  Kitts  —  for  they 
know  in  an  instant,  by  your  face,  when  they  have  touched  on  the  right 
string.  Then  again  they  are  very  voluble,  and  have  always  some  recurrtng 
phrase,  like  that  '  Remember  me,'  which  gives  them  time  for  invention. 
Besides  it  is  a  very  common  thing  for  them " 

"  D d  if  I  won't,"  ejaculated  the  Squire,  rousing  suddenly  from  a 

fit  of  meditation "  knows,  may  be,  who  's  to  win  the  Darby  !" 

In  compliance  with  this  suggestion  he  immediately  turned  his  horse  round 
and  rode  after  the  Sibyl,  determined  to  ask  her  a  few  questions  for  the  be- 
nefit of  his  betting-book,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  pulled  up  and  waited 
to  see  the  issue  of  the  conference.  The  woman  had  gained  the  brow  of  a 
gentle  hill  before  she  was  overtaken,  and  as  she  stood  in  relief  against  the 
sky  they  could  see  every  motion.  By  the  action  of  her  hands  and  arms  it 
was  eWdent  she  was  talking  with  great  vehemence,  and  the  Squire,  who 
had  dismounted,  by  his  gestures  was  equally  importunate,  till  at  last,  as  she 
turned  to  go,  they  saw  him  catch  hold  of  her  cloak,  as  if  to  detain  her  by 
force.  Her  right  arm  immediately  rose  at  full  stretch  above  her  head,  and 
a  flash  came  from  the  hand  in  the  sun-shine  like  the  glancing  of  steel.  The 
blow  however  did  not  descend  :  the  garment  was  released,  the  woman  dis- 
appeared instantly  behind  the  brow  of  the  hill :  —  and  the  Squire,  remount- 
ing his  horse,  came  slowly  back  to  rejoin  his  companions. 

"  There  you  come.  Squire,"  cried  Sir  Mark,  "  with  your  head  drooping 
and  your  tail  down,  like  a  greyhound  that  has  lost  his  hare !" 

"  Confound  her,"  said  Ned,  with  a  smart  slap  of  his  riding-whip  on  his 
boot. —  "  Wants  a  ca^e  and  a  keeper  —  worse  than  ten  tiger-cats  or  cat- 
a-mountains  —  looks  scratches,  and  talks  bites.  Never  met  an  uglier  cus- 
tomer—  never  —  never — never!" 

"  We  thought  v/e  saw  the  gleam  of  a  knife,"  remarked  Ringwood. 

"  Ay,  boy,''  said  the  Squire —  "  Long  blade  — sharp  point — fit  to  kill  a 
porker.  Did  its  share  of  work,  may  be,  at  Hazel  Bridge  —  no  saying.  A 
regular  vicious  jade  —  would  turn  a  man  tc  clod  anf'  sticking,  in  the  snap 
of  a  flint." 

*'  You  shoijld  have  tried  her  with  gold,"  said  Raby  ;  "  these  gipsies  well 
know  how  to  raise  their  market.  They  reject  copper  in  the  hope  of  silver; 
and  refuse  silver  in  expectation  of  gold." 

*'  flad  gold  on  the  hook,  man,"  replied  the  Squire,  "  but  no  go.  —  Wouldn't 
rise  at  a  guinea.  Very  odd,  —  won't  take  money  —  don't  patter  slang  — 
long  knife  —  and  no  fork  to  it '" 


84  I^TYLNEY   HALL. 

*'  I  am  afraid,"  said  the  Baronet,  with  a  serious  shake  of  his  head,  "  she 
has  learned  the  trick  of  stabbing  in  the  county  jail.  The  justice  sent  her 
there  for  a  month  to  beat  hemp." 

"  Some  day,  hemp  will  beat  Aer,"  said  Ned,  with  a  nod  and  wink. 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  like  that  hemp-beating,"  said  Sir  Mark  ;  "it  only 
leaches  them  how  to  hammer  people's  heads.  I  remember  once  looking  in 
at  them  at  work,  and  a  hang-dog  set  they  were,  and  one  rogue  in  particular. 
There,  said  he,  at  every  thump  of  his  mallet,  that 's  for  So-and-so 's  rascally 
old  brains.  And  so  he  went  on  with  a  bang  a-piece  for  the  whole  Bench. 
But  magistrates  are  as  fond  of  their  prisons  as  fox-hunters  of  their  kennels ; 
only  they  can  never  have  their  pack  numerous  enough  of  all  sorts  and  sizes, 
whereas  a  master  of  hounds  likes  'em  well-bred  and  select." 

"  Good,"  said  the  Squire. 

"  Besides,"  continued  the  Baronet,  "  the  dogs  get  a  good  education,  and 
learn  how  to  behave  and  make  themselves  useful  when  they  arc  let  out ; 
which  is  far  from  the  case  with  human  prisoners." 

"  True  as  Gospel,"  said  Ned. 

"  It  is  quite  an  idea  of  my  own,"  Sir  Mark  went  on,  "  but  it  would  be 
better  for  the  nation  if  the  visiting  magistrates  xvould  visit  a  well-managed 
kennel,  by  way  of  example,  before  they  inspect  their  jails." 

"  Ay,"  said  the  squire  —  "  regular  meals  —  nothing  but  water  —  no  riot 

—  no  giving  tongue,  that  is,  cursing  and  swearing  —  long  whip —  plenty  of 
work  —  tree  and  halter  for  them  that  won't  mend," 

"  The  Justice  laughs  at  my  notion,"  said  Lhe  Baronet,  "  but  between 
ourselves,  if  anything  should  happen  to  disable  Dick,  and  a  vacancy  occurs, 
I  '11  try  my  interest  in  the  county  to  get  him  made  Master  of  the  House  of 
Correction.'* 

They  now  overtook  the  Creole,  who  had  recovered  his  composure,  and 
sobered  his  pace  to  a  walk,  in  order  to  allow  the  others  to  come  up.  As 
they  advanced,  he  purposely  drew  towards  the  side  of  the  road  which  would 
place  him  next  to  Ringwood,  in  order  to  maintain  the  credit  he  had  obtain- 
ed for  generosity  and  forbearance. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  have  appeared  very  foolish,"  he  said,  "  but  there  are  cer- 
tain subjects  which  have  a  peculiar  sting." 

"  A  sting  indeed,"  said  Sir  Mark.  "  I  never  saw  a  start  off  but  once, 
and  that  was  on  Sorrel,  when  the  boys  had  been  stirring  up  the  old  wasp's 
nest  in  the  lane.  I  verily  believe  he  went  through  all  the  capers  of  the  Col- 
lege Hornpipe.  But  spur  on,  boys,  spur  on,  I  see  the  Twiggs'  carriage 
yonder  turning  off  for  the  Hall." 

The  Ex-Sherift's  equipage  was  indeed  entering  the  avenue,  but  at  a  very 
unusual  pace  ;  for  the  coachman  had  flogged  his  horses  into  a  gallop,  a  sure 
8ign,  in  the  Baronet's  opinion,  that  the  lady  was  not  of  the  party.  Having 
the  advantage  of  a  good  start,  the  vehicle  arrived  at  its  destination  some 
ten  minutes  before  the  horsemen  ;  but  to  the  surprise  of  Sir  Mark,  he  saw 
from  afar  the  two  ladies  run  up  the  steps,  and  dart  into  the  house  like  a 
couple  of  scared  rabbits  bobbing  into  a  burrow.  Suspecting  some  unusual 
occurrence,  he  pushed  on  at  speed,  and  on  entering  the  Hall  the  first  person 
he  encountered  was  old  Deborah,  panting  along  with  a  glass  of  cold  water, 
her  breath  just  sufficing  to  inform  her  master  that  "  Mrs.  Twigg  —  was  in 

—  a  — fit!" 

Fits  by  the  way  are  strange  things.  Like  the  hen-bird  which  has  the 
faculty  of  retaining  her  eggs  till  an  appropriate  nest  is  built  and  ready  for 
its  reception,  so  a  lady  seems  to  have  the  power  of  bottling  up  her  hysterics 
till  there  is  help  at  hand,  with  a  chance  of  hartshorn  and  water,  and  every 
fitting  accompaniment.  As  Major  Oakley  says,  in  the  Jealous  Wife,  "  Did 
you  ever  hear  of  herfaUing  into  a  fit  when  you  were  not  by?  Was  she  e-ver 
.ound  in  convulsions  in  her  closet?" 


TYLNEY    HALL.    ^  85 

Accordingly  Mrs.  Twigg  had  postponed  her  swoon  while  in  the  carriage, 
or  on  the  steps,  or  the  stairs,  but  the  moment  site  found  herself  in  the  draw- 
ino'-room,  with  a  comfortable  elbow-chair  unaer  her,  she  quietly  closed  her 
eyes,  dropped  her  arms,  and  "  went  ofFhke  a  lamb." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

*'  Death  and  destruction  !    Are  all  the  horrors  of  air,  fire,  and  water,  to  be  levell'd 
only  at  me  ?  Am  I  only  to  be  singled  out  for  gunpowder-plots,  combustibles  and  confla- 
gration  ?  Here  it  is — an  incendiary  letter  dropped  at  my  door. 
+  *  *  * 

I'm  so  frightener".  I  scarce  know  whether  I  sit,  stand,  or  go.  Perhaps  this  moment  I'm 
treading  on  lighted  matches,  blazing  brimstone,  and  barrels  of  gunpowder.  They  are 
preparing  to  blow  me  up  into  the  clouds.  Murder.  We  shall  all  be  burnt  in  our  beds  . 
"We  shall  all  be  burnt  in  our  beds  1" 

Croaker. 

"  I  have  met  with  so  many  axidents,  surprisals,  and  terrifications,  that  I  am  in  a  per- 
fect fantigo,  and  believe  I  shall  never  be  my  own  self  again." 

Win.  Jenkins. 

JtJST  as  the  Baronet  enterea  the  drawing-room,  Mrs.  Twigg  began  to  give 
signs  of  returning  animation.  Her  snub  nose,  almost  excoriated  by  smell- 
ing salts,  worked  with  convulsive  twitchings;  and  as  her  daughter  fanned 
her,  she  gave  at  every  puff  of  air  a  gasp  like  a  gudgeon  ;  at  last  she  opened 
her  eyes,  and  sat  staring  about  her  like  the  Lady  in  Comus,  in  the  En- 
chantea  Chair. 

"  Upon  my  honour,  Sir  Mark,"  said  Twigg,  "  I  am  really  ashamed  of 
this  rumpus.  It 's  so  ridiculous  having  the  family  things  in  a  strange  house. 
Cur'^e  it,  Mai^^ara,  if  you  must  faint,  I  wish  you  'd  contrive  to  do  it  at  home  !" 

"  Really,  Pa',  you  're  rather  unfeeling,'.'  lisped  Miss  Twigg.  "  When 
insensibility  affects  the  nerves,  we  can't  always  faint  where  we  like." 

"That  's  all  gammon,"  said  Twigg,  in  the  very  spirit  of  Major  Oakley. 
"  You  take  precious  good  care  never  to  flop  down  in  a  kennel ;  and  catch 
you  swooning  away  into  a  fish  pond,  or  having  a  kicking  fit  in  the  fender. 
But,  says  you,  that  would  spoil  one's  clothes." 

"It  was  the  cruel  galloping,"  whined  the  lady,  her  senses  returning,  as 
well  as  everything  else,  except  her  colour,  which  had  never  flown. 

"And  high  time  to  gallop.  Madam,"  answered  Twigg,  "when  people 
have  a  volcano  under  their  feet!  Things  are  come  to  a  crisis.  Sir  Mark 
Tyrrel,  Baronet !  —  Mrs.  Hamilton,  Madam,  —  we  five  in  very  awful 
times,  very  awful  indeed  !" 

"  My  dear  fellow,  hold  hard,"  said  the  Baronet,  laying  his  hand  on 
Twigg's  arm,  and  whispering  into  his  ear,  "You  will  have  her  into  fits 
again  if  you  do  n't  hold  hard,  for  she  "3  amiss  and  out  of  heart." 

"  Let  her  faint,"  said  Twigg,  elevating  his  voice  to  the  proper  pitch  for  a 
forum.  "The  hour  is  come  when  people  must  not  think  of  females  and  fits. 
The  very  thing  my  old  friend  Jack  Dawe  said  in  the  Common  Council  is 
coming  to  pass.  A  rise-up  of  servants  against  masters,  and  servants 
against  mistresses  —  of  people  with  nothing,  against  people  of  property. 
There  's  been  a  dead  set  at  us  ever  since  we  came  to  Hollington," 

"  To  be  sure,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "I  'm  afraid  some  of  our  democrats  and 
demagogues,  with  their  speeches  and  so  forth,  have  done  us  no  good 
in  our  public  principles.  There  is  a  set  of  peoole  in  the  parish  I  know,  that 
are  all  for  libpity  and  orpiality."  • 

"  Read  this.  Sir  Mark,"  exclaimed  Twigg,  drawing  a  letter  out  of  his 
:)Ocket  "  If  any  body  wants  conviction,  let  them  read  .this,  and  lay  their 
6* 


86  -  '-      TYLNEY    HALL. 

hands  on  their  hearts,  and  then  say,  Ar'  n't  these  revolutionary  levelling 
times,  or  ar'  n't  they  not?  Let  them  just  read  this,"  he  continued,  striking 
the  letter  with  his  fore-finger,  but  still  holding  the  paper  so  that  its  perusal 
should  not  interrupt  his  oration,  "  Here  's  proof,  ocular  proof!  The  rcigr,  of 
anarchy,  and  the  reign  of  terror,  and  all  sorts  of  reigns,  is  set  in ;  andf  so- 
cial order,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  is  to  be  upset,  and  subverted,  and  top- 
syturvied. Here  am  I — threatened  with  fire,  and  fury,  and  brimstone. 
And  why?  I  ask  why?  —  Why,  says  you,  beca\ise  I  am  a  man  of  pro- 
perty !" 

"  Very  shocking  times,  indeed,"  said  Sir  Mark,  ineffectually  holding  out 
his  hand  for  the  letter. 

"  It 's  true.  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  every  word  and  syllable  of  it," 
said  Mrs.  Twigg,  with  a  shake  of  the  head,  very  like  Lord  Burleigh's  in  the 
Critic. 

"  What's  to  become  of  Church  and  State?"  continued  Twigg,  evidently 
fancying  himself  on  his  legs  before  the  Common  Council.  '"  What's  to  be- 
come of  the  Bible  and  Crown  ?  What  's  to  become  of  us  all,  when  the 
pillars  of  the  constitution  is  pulled  down,  and  the  pinnacles  of  national  pros- 
perity, and  all  that  is  ancient,  all  that  is  old,  and  all  that  is  venerable,  is 
trod  under  foot  by  tag-rag-and-bobtail?" 

"  If  the  paper  contains  any  such  plot,"  said  Sir  Mark,  again  attempting  to 
take  it,  "  I  should  say  it  ought  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  State." 

"  That 's  what  I  say,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg.  "  Nothing  but  a  troop  of  Life 
Guards  can  keep  us  safe  in  our  shoes.  I  am  glad  we  came  here  for  advice." 

"  All  I  ask,"  continued  Twigg,  "  is  one  question,  and  that  is  this. — How 
are  people  of  property  to  act,  when  thus  attacked  in  retail,  — I  mean  to  say 
detail?  Here  am  I —  worth  we  '11  say,  a  hundred  thousand  pounds,  — here 
I  am,  and  unless  I  come  down  fifty  pounds  to  a  nameless  anonymous  as- 
sassin, I  'm  told  to  look  to  my  stables,  for  the  scoundrels  have  made  matches, 
and  bought  brimstone,  and  they  '11  have  blood,  blood,  blood  !" 

"If  that  is  expressed  in  the- writing,"  said  Sir  Mark,  " it  is  a  regular 
threatening  letter,"  —  here  he  made  a  fresh  motion  for  it, — "  and  our  friend 
the  Justice  would  know  how  to  deal  with  the  author  according  to  law." 

"Every  word  of  it  is  there,"  said  Mrs.  TM'igg,  "the  three  bloods  and 
all,  I  've  read  it  over  and  over,  till  I  have  almost  got  it  by  heart.  I  'm  sure 
I  wish  a  whitlow  on  every  finger  that  had  a  hand  in  it.  They  have  put  Mr. 
T.  in  such  a  twitter  that — " 

"Hold  your  confounded  fool's  tongue,  Madam,"  exclaimed  Twigg. 
"  Nobody  was  in  a  twitter  but  yourself  But  here  it  is,  Sir  Mark  —  read  it 
and  judge,  or  may  be  you  had  better  read  it  aloud  for  the  benefit  of  Mrs. 
Hamilton.     If  it  do  n't  smell  like  a  house  a-fire,  my  name  's  not  Twigg  !'* 

Thus  appealed  to,  the  Baronet  took  the  incendiary  epistle,  and  began  in 
a  very  audible  and  solemn  voice  to  read  as  follows  :  the  Twiggs  severally 
making  faces  and  gestures  of  horror  as  they  conceived  themselves  to  be  al- 
luded to  personally  in  the  denunciations. 

*'  Sur, 
"  Wen  this  cums  to  hand  you  will  soon  sea  Revenge.  Hell-fire  Dick 
nose  what  to  doo.  I  have  bought  Brimstun  for  yew.  Mersey  his  not  to  be 
had.  Their  ar  lots  of  Matchis  maid  I  can  tell  yew  fury  &  Ruin  Blood- 
sucker and  Blazes  dam  Mister  Buvril  as  bean  dim  brown  &  mind  yew  dont 
<zit  the  saim  send  me  fifty  yeller  bovs  and  I  will  make  yew  safe  yew  dont 
no  wat  yew  ar  standin  on  yew  may  hav  havvock  or  not  as  yew  like  but  yew 
nad  better  come  down.  Look  sh.up  to  yure  stabil  &  mind  my  wurds 
bloods  the  thing  blood  Blood  Blood. 

"  Yurc  's  to  command, 

"J.  P.'» 


TYLNEY    HALL.  87 

"  P.  S.  That  young  puppy  of  yures  deserves  hangin  and  soe  does  Ma- 
dam. I  wunder  yew  can  keep  sich  a  Bitch.  Has  for  Matilda  we  are  goin 
to  cut  her  throte  &  bile  her." 

"  There,"  exclaimed  Twig^:,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  letter,  "  there 's  no 
mistake  in  that !" 

"  Did  you  ever  hear,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,"  asked  Mrs.  Twigg, 
"such  horrid  blood-thirsty  language,  and  scandalous  vipertuperations  ? 
About  myself,  I  can't  repeat,  but  as  regards  -poor  'Tilda,  what  can  she  have 
done  that  she  's  to  swelter  in  her  gore  ?" 

"  Upon  my  honour.  Madam,"  replied  the  Baronet,  "  if  it 's  no  offence  to 
say  so,  you're  all  flourishing  without  any  occasion  !'" 

"Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,"  said  the  lady,  "you  astonish  me.  All 
flourishing  !   I  wish  we  was  !" 

"My  dear  Madam,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "the  case  is  this.  You  receive  a  let- 
ter, a  regular  puzzler,  and  it  makes  you  all  throw  up " 

"Indeed,  I  confess  for  one,"  said  the  lady,  "  that  it  gave  me  a  kind  of  a 
turn." 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  the  figurative  Fox-hunter,  "  after  spreadingthia 
way  and  that,  at  last  there  is  a  challenge " 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  exclaimed  Twigg,  "  but  of  course  Sir  Mark 
Tyrrel,  Baronet,  you  know  more  jof  challenges  than  I  do.  A  man  that  has 
had  to  be  his  own  shopman,  could  n't  be  expected  to  go  out  if  he  was  calica 
out.  Of  course  it's,  some  Irish  Dragoon  oflicer,  for  I  never  read  any 
thing  in  such  a  blunderbuss  style  in  my  life.  It 's  very  odd  though,  says 
you,  considering  I  have  n't  been  a  gentleman  long  enough  to  offend  any 
body." 

"  My  good  Sir,"  said  the  Baronet,  "you  are  quite  at  fault." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Twigg,  submissively,  "  if  you  say  so,  I  '11  apologize, 
let  him  be  who  he  will,  and  that 's  saying  a  good  deal  for  a  man  of  rny  pro- 
perty." 

"  Zounds,  man,"  exclaimed  Sir  Mark,  "  you  're  more  bewildered  than 
an  owl  in  daylight !  You  could  n't  be  more  stupified  and  abroad,  if  all  the 
cock-sparrows  of  the  parish  were  mobbing  about  your  ears.  There  is  n't 
a  word  about  fighting  in  it,  sw^ord  or  pistol !" 

"  The  Lord  be  praised !"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Twigg.  Mr.  T.  was  never 
concerned  in  any  honourable  affiiir  in  his  life  ;  and  so  little  used  as  he  is  to 
duelling,  and  letting  off"  things,  if  no  worse  happened,  he'd  be  sure  to  shoot 
away  his  own  fingers  or  something." 

"  It's  a  pity  Pa'  don't  learn,"  said  Miss  Twigg,  "as  shooting  is  so  gen- 
teel. Every  gentleman  at  Hollington  goes  out  with  his  gun ;  and  really  it 
looks  a  great^eal  more  becoming  for  a  man  of  fortune,  than  a  great  green 
umbrella." 

"  That's  what  I  say,"  added  Mrs.  Twigg;  "every  blessed  day.  To  be 
sure  it's  late  in  life  for  Mr.  T.  to  learn  shooting  —  I  wish  he  had  belonged 
to  the  volunteers  !" 

"  Volunteers  be  hatiged  !"  said  Twigg.  "  What  could  one  volunteer  do 
at  a  house  a-fire  ?     He  could  n't  surround  the  property,  could  he  ?" 

"  You  mean  to  say  then.  Sir,  that  the  Plive  is  to  be  burnt  down  and  gut- 
ted?" inquired  Mrs.  Twigg,  with  a  rueful  look  at  the  Baronet. 

"  My  dear  Madam,"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  [  mean  to  say,  you're  quite  at 
fault  about  the  letter.  There  is  not  a  word  in  it,  except  about  dogs  and 
horses.  I  have  Havoc  and  Revenge,  and  fifty  such  naries,  in  my  own  ken- 
nel —  ask  Kate  there  !" 

"  I  have  the  pleasure  of  saying,  Madam,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "that  1 
l»;ivi'  seen  many  similar  letters  from  Richard,  the  huntsman,  to  my 
biulhei," 


88  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  To  be  sure  she  has,"  said  the  Baronet.     "  But  here  comes  the  Squire, 

—  he  will  pick  it  out  in  a  moment." 

In  fact,  iiaving  allowed  a  certain  time  on  his  watch  for  the  fit  to  be  done 
in,  honest  Ned  at  this  juncture  entered  the  room,  accompanied  by  Ring- 
wood,  Raby,  and  the  Creole,  who  were  severally  introduced,  and  Mrs. 
Hamilton  saluted  her  nephews  with  great  affection.  The  inquest  on  the 
letter  was  then  resumed. 

"  Here,  Squire,"  said  the  Baronet,  "read  this  letter,  and  oblige  us  with 
a  key  to  it's  meaning.  Twigg  here  sniffs  fire  and  brimstone,  and  swears 
the  Hive  is  going  to  be  treated  like  a  wasp's  nest." 

*'  Old  Jack  Pike,  eh  ?  —  know  his  scrawl,"  said  the  Squire,  as  he  glanced 
at  the  hand-writing  ;  but  he  had  no  sooner  got  through  the  first  sentence, 
than  he  began  to  slap  his  pocket,  —  "know  it,  eh?  —  to  be  sure  I  do, 

—  about  Revenge  and  Havoc,  and  the  matches." 

"Yes,  and  blood,  blood,  blood,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  speaking  hastily, 
"  and  fury  and  ruin,  and  cutting  throats,  and  burning  and  domg  us  brown. 
You  think  as  we  do.  Sir.  It  was  dropt  this  very  morning,  Sir,  dropped  at 
our  own  door?" 

"  Like  enough.  Ma'am,"  said  Ned,  — dropped  it  myself,  —  called  at  the 
Hive  this  morning, — asked  by  young  Twigg  to  look  at  a  puppy,  —  can 
show  you  the  cover,  —  E.  Somerville,  Esq.,  and  all  that,  dated  a  month 
ago." 

"  Then  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  murder,  and  arson,  and  extorting 
money  ?"  inquired  Twigg. 

"  Devil  a  word,"  answered  the  Squire,  "  all  about  long  dogs  and  tits. 
Honest  fellow,  old  Jack,  —  wanted  me  to  come  down  to  a  coursing 
meeting." 

*'  Thank  God  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Twigg,  solemnly,  —  "  here 's  a  load  off 
all  our  minds  and  spirits  !" 

"  Oh  it 's  hke  a  calm  after  a  storm  at  Mai^te,"  said  Miss  Matilda. 

"  To  be  sure  it  would  have  been  a  thousand  pities,"  said  Mrs.  Tv'cpg. 
*'  You  must  know,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  we  have  been  plotting  and  planning  the 
most  delightful  feat  shampeter,  —  but,  after  the  letter,  Mr.  T.  saic'  it  fnust 
all  be  given  up,  —  or  at  all  events  done  in-door?  " 

"  I  know  I  did,"  said  Twigg,  "  and  so  Aould  any  one  that  stood  in  my 
shoes,  as  a  man  of  property,  and  the  bull's-eye  of  the  whole  plot.  It's  all 
very  pleasant,  for  some  people  to  be  horn  piping  on  lawns,  — or  eating  tarts 
under  a  tent,  —  or  drinking  syllabubs  in  summer-houses  ;  but  it  is  n't  quite 
so  pleasant,  for  a  man  that  has  toiled  all  his  life,  to  be  killed  on  his  own 
freehold  grounds,  before  he  had  time  to  enjoy  his  affluenee.  May  be  shot 
at,  says  you,  from  behind  a  tree,  or  stabbed  by  a  ruffian  out  of  a  bush,  like 
G.  Barnwell,  Esq.,  of  Camberwell  Grove." 

The  conversation  now  became  general  ;  and  after  the  lapse  of  about  an 
hour,  the  Humble  Bee  returned  with  his  family  to  the  Hive  :  a  little  dis- 
satisfied, indeed,  with  their  own  sagacity  and  penetration  ,  but  infinitely 
delighted  to  find  that  they  might  hold  their  Bartlemy  Fair  on  the  lawn, 
without  reckoning  on  a  Swins:. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  89 


CHAPTER  XX. 


I  know  nof,  love,  quoth  he,  nor  will  I  know  it ;  » 

Unless  it  be  a  boar,  and  thee  I  chase  it." 

Venus  and  Adonis. 


*  Up,  my  friend,  and  quit  your  books. 
Or  surely  you  '11  grow  double." 


Wordsworth 


"  The  jars  of  brothers 
Are  like  a  small  stone  thrown  into  a  river, 
The  breach  scarce  hearJ,  but  view  the  beaten  current, 
And  yon  shall  see  a  thousand  angry  rings 
Rise  in  his  face,  still  swelling  and  still  growing.'' 

RoLLo  Duke  of  Normandy. 

In  spite  of  his  admiration  of  Mrs.  Hamilton's  sentiment  concerning  love, 
and  her  precept  against  matchmaking,  the  Baronet  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  offered  by  Ringwood's  return  to  push  forward  his  matrimonial 
scheme.  His  manoeuvres  in  pursuance  of  this  object  resembled  the  attempt 
to  take  a  fox  in  a  trap.  He  baited  with  Grace  Rivers,  and  laid  many  a 
trail  up  to  her,  by  means  of  visits  and  messages,  and  commissions  to 
Hawksley,  in  which  Ringwood  found  himself  engaged  much  oftencr  than 
he  liked.  There  is  a  proverb,  however,  which  says  "you  may  bring  a 
horse  to  the  water,  but  you  cannot  make  him  drink  ;"  and  even  so  you 
may  brino' young  persons  into  company  with  each  other,  but  you  cannot 
force  them  to  fall  in  love.  Many  a  message  the  young  man  had  to  deliver 
at  Mr.  .Justice  Rivers',  but,  unlike  messengers  in  general,  he  never  stayed 
on  his  errands,  he  never  went  there  superlatively  well  dressed,  or  came  back 
with  an  abstracted  or  pensive  air,  nor  did  he  show  any  particular  emotion, 
when  the  name  of  the  "  first  favourite"  was  proposed  as  a  toast. 

Above  all,  he  showed  no  jealousy  whatever  of  the  great  attention  that 
was  paid  to  her  by  Raby  and  St.  Kitts ;  on  the  contrary,  he  occasionally 
undertook  the  delivery  of  the  elegant  extracts  which  his  brother  had  culled 
for  her,  amongst  the  old  poets.  '"  Confound  the  fellow,"  said  the  father  in- 
ternally, "it  beats  pig-driving  !  the  more  I  want  to  put  him  in  the  right 
road,  the  more  he  won't  go  !" 

Sir  Mark  was  a  good  deal  disconcerted  by  this  perversity  in  his  son,  and 
at  last  began  to  suspect  that  something  equivalent  to  "  pit  full"  must  be 
written  over  the  door  of  his  heart.  Under  this  impression  he  one  day  tried 
an  experiment  that  produced  a  gleam  of  hope ;  but  it  turned  out  only  a  flash 
in  the  pan,  or,  as  we  should  now  say,  a  bad  cap.  He  was  riding  side  by 
side  with  Ringwood,  and  by  way  of  getting  at  the  truth  by  sirrprise,  he  ab- 
ruptly put  the  question  whether  the  latter  had  seen  any  girl  at  Oxford  to 
compare  with  Grace  Rivers  ? 

"Nobody  —  not  one,"  answered  Ringwood,  speaking  with  the  back  of 
his  head  towards  his  father.     "How  easily  I  could  have  her !" 

"  Have  whom  ?"    said'^ir  Mark,  pricking  up  his  ears. 

"Pn?!s  there,"  said  Ringwood,  putting  his  thuiTiI>  on  full  cock,  and  taking 
aim  nlotig  his  fore-finger,  at  a  hare  that  was  running  into  cover. 

The  {)roinised  weekly  visits  of  the  young  lady  at  ihe  Hall  produced  no 
better  result;  she  only  grew  more  fond  of  poetry,  and  Raby  became  more 
fond  of  copying  it,  to  the  usual  exclusion  of  Nimrod,  ramrod,  and  fishing- 
rod. 

This  congeniality  of  tastes  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  Baronet,  and, 


90  TTLNET    HALL. 

wilii  some  jealousy  as  to  its  probable  effect,  he  endeavoured  more  strenu. 
ousiy  than  ever  to  drive  Raby  into  the  field,  and  Ringwood  into  the  library; 
but  without  any  other  effect  than  of  reviving  the  old  bickerings  between  the 
brothers,  each  attributing  to  the  other  the  persecution  he  endured.  By  dint 
of  importunity  Ringwood  was  induced  to  copy  out  something  for  jMiss 
Rivers,  and  he  wrote  out  a  portion  of  Somerville's  Chase  ;  Raby  by  the 
same  entreaty  was  persuaded  to  join  in  a  day's  coursing,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  say  which  of  these  fish  out  of  water  suffered  most  in  its  strange  ele- 
ment. 

"  If  it  was  n't  for  your  everlasting  poetry,"  said  Ringwood  one  day,  "  I 
should  n't  hear  so  much  of  my  everlasting  sporting.  I  wish  to  God  you 
would  hunt  or  shoot  a  little  yourself,  instead  of  being  such  a  bookworm. — 
There  's  fishing  is  a  quiet  studious  sort  of  thing." 

"Never,"  answered  R-aby,  with  emphasis.  "I  cannot  bear  the  thought 
even  of  impaling  a  poor  inoffensive  worm  on  a  hook  to  writhe  in  agony  till 
he  is  drowned." 

"But  you  might  have  a  fly,"  said  R,ingwood,  —  "and,  as  you  are  so 
squeamish,  you  need  not  even  impale  a  real  one." 

"  True,"  said  Raby,  "  but  I  happen  to  have  read  Cotton,  with  his  direc- 
tions for  making  artificial  ones ;  and  really  I  have  no  inclination  to  go 
through  the  varied  course  of  sporting  which  would  be  requisite  only  to 
furnish  me  with  dubbing." 

"  If  I  know  what  you  mean,"  exclaimed  Ringwood,  "  may  I  be 
pounded  !" 

"I  speak,"  answered  Raby,  "  from  the  book.  I  was  tempted  to  read 
the  instructions  carefully  for  their  whimsicality.  To  get  only  the  materials 
for  palmers,  and  stoneflys,  and  duns,  and  other  technicals,  would  take  up 
a  greater  portion  of  my  life  than  I  am  disposed  to  spare.  For  instance,  I 
must  go  bear-hunting,  and  scuffle  with  an  old  black  bruin  for  a  little  of  his 
skin,  being  particular  to  have  him  well  tanned  by  the  weather ;  then  I 
must  draw  a  badger  for  a  bit  of  his  fur ;  then  I  must  take  an  otter  for  ditto  ; 
and  then  grope  the  banks  for  a  water-rat  and  a  water-mouse,  if  there  be 
such  an  animal.  I  must  beg  the  Squire  for  a  pluck  of  hair  at  his  black 
spaniel  on  the  inside  of  the  ear,  and  must  remember  at  Oxford  to  buy  or 
steal  a  bit  of  a  barge  sail.  I  must  go  hawking  to  get  the  herl  of  a  heron, 
fox-hunting  for  the  fur  of  an  old  red  reynard,  coursing  for  the  scut  of  a 
hare  the  blackest  I  can  get,  and  shooting  for  a  rook's  win^,  a  lapwing's 
crest,  and  a  partridge's  tail.  I  must  climb  up  trees  for  martins  and  squir- 
rels, comb  black  greyhounds  with  small  tooth  combs,  and  go  swine-shear- 
ing for  sanded  hog's  down.  Last,  not  least,  I  must  shave  our  black  Tom 
caf,  if  he  will  let  me,  for  the  sake  of  his  whiskers,  and  then,  turning  him 
round,  I  must  take  a  twitch  out  of  his  tail !" 

"  Very  well  quizzed,"  answered  Ringwood,  "  only  you  happen  to  know 
better.  Every  article  you  mention  is  to  be  had  at  the  furrier's  or  elsewhere  ; 
but,  if  that  is  all,  I  will  lend  you  my  dubbing-bag,  and  a  pocket-book  of 
flies,  ready  made." 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  the  offer,"  replied  Raby,  "  but  to  tell  the  truth, 
I  entertain  some  serious  doubts  of  the  humanity  of  fishing;  in  spite  of  the 
authority  of  Izaak  Walton,  who  tells  us  he  leaves  water-rats  to  be  destroyed 
by  other  bands,  for  that  he  is  not  of  a  cruel  nature,  and  loves  to  kill  nothing 
but  fish.  To  be  pulled  gasping  out  of  the  native  element  into  another,  as 
painful  perhaps  as  fire  to  the  human  lungs,  with  a  sharp  hook  sticking 
through  the  jaws,  or  more  probably  tearing  the  entrails — " 

"  Pshaw,"  exclaimed  Ringwood,  *'  that  is  the  old  story.  You  sit  por- 
ing and  poking  oy3r  books  till  you  get  as  sentimental  and  squeamish  as  a 
girl  from  boarding-school.  Let  Grace  hunt  out  poetry  for  herself  For 
my  own  part  I  'd  as  soon  be  a  man- milliner  at  once ;  there's  no  great  odds 


TTLNET  HALL.  91 

that  I  can  see  between  serving  young  ladies  with  yards  of  verses  or  yards 
of  riband." 

"  And  for  my  part,"  said  Raby,  reddening,  "  I'd  as  soon  be  a  ratcatcher 
at  once,  as  employ  all  the  faculties  of  mind  and  body,  day  after  day,  in  the 
pursuit  of  worthless  vermin.  I  happen  to  conceive  that  man  was  endowed 
with  powers  of  mind  for  higher  purposes." 

"  Yes,  to  make  love  chime  with  dove,  and  so  on,  to  the  end  of  the  chap- 
ter," retorted  Ringwood.  "I'd  rather  be  a  wagon  horse,  and  go  dozing 
along  to  my  jingle  of  bells." 

"  And  what  is  there  after  all  in  your  hunting  ?"  said  Raby,  with  increas 
ing  warmth.  "  Why  the  very  brutes  beat  you  at  your  own  game.  The 
superior  sagacity  and  quick  sense  of  smell  in  the  hound  direct  you  the  way 
to  go  ;  and  the  horse  enables  you  to  follow  by  the  aid  of  animal  powers 
infinitely  surpassing  your  own.  And  truly,  when  all  is  done,  a  fox's  tail 
is  a  notable  feather  in  the  cap  of  an  intellectual  being  !" 

"  It  has  always  been  reckoned  a  manly  trophy,  however,"  said  Ring- 
wood,  "  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  Hercules,  that  man  of  all  men, 
cut  a  devilish  deal  better  figure  while  killing  hydras,  than  when  he  took  a 
distaff  amongst  the  maids,  no  matter  whether  he  was  spinning  flax  or  spin- 
ning verses!" 

*'I  thought  that  argument  was  decided  at  Oxford,"  said  the  Creole,  who 
had  entered  the  room  with  his  pecuhar  stealthiness,  so  that  his  presence 
had  been  unheeded. 

"Yes,"  said  Ringwood,  vehemently,  "and  it  was  given,  agamst  me! 
But  then  it  was  amongst  Raby's  own  set,  pedants,  and  bookworms,  and 
ballad-mongers !" 

"  And  quite  as  respectable  a  set,"  retorted  Raby,  "  as  coachmen,  bruis- 
ers, and  blacklegs." 

"  I  believe  that  question  was  decided,  too,  at  Oxford,  by  the  Proctor," 
said  the  Creole,  in  a  tone  that  stung  Ringwood  to  the  quick. 

"Hark  you,  St.  Kitts,"  he  said,  "I  know  your  drift.  Perhaps  I  have 
not  trained  on,  in  Greek  and  Laiin,  so  well  as  yourself.  But  the  next  time 
you  refer  to  College,  I'd  advise  you  to  remember  that  I  learned  one  thing 
at  Oxford,  at  which  you  would  come  ofT  second-best." 

"  The  use  of  your  fists,  I  presume,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  sneer,  "  or 
your  mawleys,  in  the  elegant  slang  of  the  ring.  When  I  fight,  it  shall  be 
with  the  weapons  of  a  gentleman.'' 

"  Provided  gentlemen  will  go  out  with  you,"  said  Ringwood.  "They 
may  choose  to  be  as  particular  about  arms,  as  you  are  about  weapons,  and 
object  to  a  bend  sinisler." 

"  I  am  used  to  that  taunt,  and  do  not  care  for  it,"  replied  the  Creole, 
with  a  look,  however,  which  showed  thak_use  had  not  blunted  its  edge, 
"But  beware  of  reflecting  too  often  on  my  birth  —  the  day  may  come 
when  you  will  rue  your  own!"  So  saying  he  abruptly  left  the  room; 
having  acted  as  a  sort  of  conductor  to  carry  off  the  thunder  and  lijghtning 
whicli  had  been  mustering  between  the  brothers. 

"  It  is  really  a  pity,  Ringwood,"  said  Raby,  as  soon  as  they  were  left 
alono,  "  that  you  indulse  so  often  in  that  reflection  on  St.  Kitts.  Of  all 
his  detects,  that  of  his  birth  is  the  only  one  he  cannot  help.  I  heartily 
wish  old  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  amons^t  his  *  Vulvar  Errours,'  had  noticed 
the  viry  popular  one  of  affixing  on  the  otTspring  the  reproach  that  belongs 
to  the  parent." 

"  I  dare  say  you  are  right,"  re turnetl  Ringwood,  "  but  my  temper's  hot 
and  quick,  and  he  likes  to  show  it  o.T  on  t!»e  fret,  ju?t  because  he  can  keep 
his  own  so  well  under  command.  That 's  why  he 's  always  poking  me, 
to  ?narl  and  show  my  teeth,  like  a  keeper  with  a  wild  beast ;  but  try  to 
stir  him  up  himself,  and  except  you  touch  him  in  one  place,  he 's  as  cool 


92  TYLNEY   IIAT-r-. 

and  impenetrable,  confound  him,  as  a  man  in  armour.     As  the  fellcw  saio 
of  his  donkey,  '  it 's  only  on  that  bit  of  raw  ihat  you  can  make  him  feel !'  " 

"  I  must  confess,"  answered  Raby,  "  he  is  somewhat  like  Achilles,  who 
was  invulnerable  all  but  the  heel ;  but  I  would  refrain  from  inflicting  such 
an  ignoble  wound.  As  for  showing  you  up,  if  you  would  only  blink  and 
yawn,  instead  of  growling  and  getting  rampant,  he  would  soon  lay  aside 
his  long  pole,  and  leave  you  to  yourself." 

*' It's  good  advice,  and  I'll  book  it,"  said  Ringwood.  "  And  what  I 
said  to  you,  Raby,  about  sometimes  painting  your  brown  study  of  some 
other  colour,  was  good  advice,  too.  I  do  n't  like  people  telling  me  my  bro- 
ther is  a  milksop." 

"They  may  call  me  what  they  please,"  said  Raby.  "  De  gusUbus  non 
est  dbputandum,  —  my  palate  is  not  in  another  man's  mouth.  But  look 
here,  Ringwood,  out  of  the  window  ;  you  have  touched  him  indeed  on  the 
bit  of  raw  !  he  kept  his  temper  too  well  barrelled  to  show  us  any  of  the 
working,  but  now  he  is  taking  out  the  vent-peg !" 

"  By  Jove  !"  exclaimed  Raby,  "  he  is  hauling  his  horse  about  as  if  he'd 
pull  his  head  ofl'!  poor  little  Toby  !  And  there's  a  start  —  spurring  and 
flogging,  as  if  he  was  making  his  rush  at  the  end  !  Here 's  the  old  school 
boy  spite  over  again  — '  if  I  can't  lick  Will  I  'II  hide  Tom !'  " 

Exactly  as  Ringwood  described,  the  Creole  galloped  at  racing  speed 
down  the  avenue,  as  if  the  Judge's  chair  had  been  actually  at  tbe  end. 
On  coming  to  the  high-road,  however,  he  reduced  the  pace  to  a  trot,  and 
then  turning  into  a  shady  secluded  lane,  he  brought  the  horse  to  a  walk, 
and  threw  the  reins  on  his  neck.  "  I  am  a  fool  to  mind  it,"  he  muttered  to 
himself,  "for  it  comes  from  a  fool.  Why  should  I  fret  and  wince  under 
it?  'T  is  no  fault  of  mine.  I  had  not  the  ordering  of  my  birth.  Thou- 
sands are  no  more  legitimate  than  I  am  ;  men  of  rank  and  station.  What 
is  legitimacy  ?  a  parson,  a  certificate,  and  a  ring.  Is  there  a  stain  on  me 
from  the  womb,  a  stain  like  original  sin,  because  my  parents  were  not 
married  ?  Am  I  doomed  to  infamy  and  disgrace  for  want  of  a  mere  form  ? 
Has  it  made  me  less  virtuous,  less  sightly,  less  intellectual !  Has  it  made 
me  deformed  in  person  or  deficient  of  a  sense ;  and  shall  man  affix  a 
stigma  where  heaven  has  set  no  mark  !  Is  not  my  flesh  as  healthy,  my 
blood  as  pure,  my  body  as  perfect  in  all  its  functions — aye  as  that  of 
Ringwood  himself!  But  no,  no,  no,  this  flattering  unction  will  not  do. 
Walter  Tyrrel,  you  are  a  degraded  being,  and  it  avails  you  nothing  that 
there  are  thousands  under  the  same  ban  with  yourself.  Justice  may 
award  the  shame  to  the  parent,  but  the  prejudice  of  man  entails  it  on  the 
child.  The  attainder  of  thefather  debases  the  blood  of  the  son  —  true  it 
is,  indeed,  that  not  one  atom  or  globule  of  the  tide  of  life  can  be  wrought 
upon  by  a  breath  —  but  the  voice  of  the  world  says  it  does,  of  the  world 
in  which  I  am  to  live.  Grant  that  the  honour  or  dishonour  exists  only  in 
imagination  ;  but  are  there  not  imaginary  sorrows,  and  pains,  and  terrors, 
producing  real  agonies  ?  What  signifies  that  I  am  as  perfect  in  limbs,  as 
fully  cfidowed  with  faculties,  as  Ringwood,  in  the  eye  of  nature,  when  the 
world  will  not  acknowledge  the  equality?  am  not  I  stamped  with  a  brand, 
an  everlasting  brand,  never  to  be  eflfaced  by  time,  never  to  be  removed  by 
honourable  achievement,  the  more  hopeless  because  impalpable  and  invi- 
sible—  an  airy  nothing,  indeed,  but  to  which  man  has  given  a  local  habi- 
tation and  a  name  !  Besides,  does  the  default  not  carry  with  it  real  penal- 
ties? will  laud  descend  to  me,  and  from  me  to  mine,  from  generation  to 
generation,,  as  if  by  divine  right,  tq  the  end  of  time? 

"  No,  no,  a  bastard  I  am,  and  must  remain  ;  and  worst  of  all  a  brown 
bastard  — aye,  that  was  the  word  !  There  is  a  stain  on  my  face  as  well  as 
on  my  birth,  a  tinge  derived  from  the  blood  of  negroes,  black  heathens, 
and  —  the  word  chokes  rne  —  slaves !" 


TTLNET    HALL.  9S 

During  the  utterance  of  the  foregoing  soUloquy,  he  had,  through  excite, 
meat,  gradually  exalted  his  voice ;  and  as  soon  as  he  had  pronounced  the 
last  word,  he  heard  it  repeated  in  a  lower  tone.  Supposing  it  to  have  pro- 
ceeded merely  from  an  echo,  he  never  turned  his  head;  hut,  in  a  kw  mo- 
ments, he  distinctly  heard  the  same  voice  calling  on  "Walter  Tyrrel." 
Considerably  startled,  he  looked  round  for  the  speaker,  and  his  brow 
darkened  with  displeasure,  when  he  recognised  the  dark  face  of  the  fortune- 
telling  woman,  as  she  made  her  way  through  the  hedge  by  thv  «ide  of  the 
road.  He  was  immediately  going  to  ride  forward,  but  she  sprang  suddenly 
before  him,  and  caught  hold  of  the  bridle. 

"Let  go,  woman,"  he  cried,  his  face  flushing  with  anger,  and  his  hand 
mechanically  raising  his  riding  whip  above  his  head.  "  Let  go,  I  say;  I 
will  hear  no  more  of  your  infernal  gil)berish." 

"  Lower  your  whip !"  she  answi  red,  with  the  tone  and  look  of  a  com- 
mand. "  I  have  been  used  to  stripes  lately  ;  but  of  all  that  breathe  in  the 
wide  world,  Walter  Tyrrel  is  the  last  that  should  lay  a  lash  on  7ne  .'" 

"  Begone,  hag,"  cried  the  Creole,  in  a  still  fiercer  voice,  for  he  was  offend- 
ed at  the  familiarity  of  her  address ;  "  if  I  touch  him  with  the  spur,  you 
may  repent  the  consequence." 

"  And  your  repentance,"  said  the  woman,  reddening,  "  should  exceed 
mine  ten  times  told.  But  you  know  not  what  you  do.  1  know  things  that, 
to  hear,  would  thrill  you  with  ecstacy  —  and  others  that  should  freeze  you 
to  the  spot !" 

*'  Enough,"  said  the  Creole,  "  I  know  my  own  fortune  better  than  any 
gipsy  —  I  must  and  will  pass  !" 

"  Pass  over  my  body,  then,"  said  the  woman,  releasing  the  bridle,  and 
planting  herself,  with  outstretched  arms,  full  before  him  in  the  middle  of  the 
road;  "ride  on,  Walter  Tyrrel,  break  these  arms  that  nursed  you,  and 
mangle  this  bosom  that  nourished  you." 

"  Impudent  impostor  !"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  rising  into  uncontrollable 
rage.  "But  you  have  been  set  on;  dare  to  propagate  this  malicious  in- 
vention, breathe  it  into  another  human  ear,  and  it  shall  be  the  last  syllable 
your  tongue  shall  ever  utter,  if  I  tear  it  out  with  my  own  hands." 

"Walter  Tyrrel,"  replied  the  woman,  as  if  she  delighted  in  repeating 
the  name,  "  no  ear  but  your  own  has  heard  it,  and  no  other  shall  hear  it, 
provided  you  will  listen  to  the  rest.  But  deny  me  that,  and  I  will  proclaim 
It  at  noon-day  from  the  Market-Cross." 

"  Say  your  say,  then,  and  be  quick,"  replied  the  Creole,  partly  astound- 
ed by  her  audacity,  and  partly  unwilling  to  defy  the  threat  of  a  being  so 
wild  and  determined. 

"What  I  have  said  already,"  said  the  woman,  "is  true;  were  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  now  shining  together  in  heaven,  I  would  s^j'ear  by  them 
all,  and  by  Him  who  made  them,  that  what  I  have  said  is  true.  You  owe 
all  to  me  that  a  child  owes  to  its  nurse." 

"Insolent,  crazy  beldam!  that  cursed  story  again  —  this  is  beyond 
eaithly  patience,"  cried  the  Creole,  almost  foaming  with  rage.  "But  that 
Y')U  are  a  woman,  you  shouid  roll  under  my  horse's  feet." 

"  Walter  Tyrrel,"  exclaimed  the  woman,  while  angry  sparks  flashed 
from  her  black  eyes,  "  dare  not  to  miscall  me  again,  if  you  would  have  my 
blessing,  and  not  my  curse  !  but  the  story  is  strange,  and  I  am  strange," 
she  added  in  a  milder  tone,  "  and  I  ought  not  perhaps  to  expect  your  im- 
plicit belief  in  it,  without  some  token  of  its  truth.  Did  you  ever  see  a  face 
like  this  ?" 

As  she  spoke,  she  drew  from  her  bosom  a  small  miniature,  and  held  it  up 

to  St.  Kitts,  who  instantly  recognised  the  features :    the  shock  and  the 

surprise  made  him  feel  faint  and  sick ;  his  eyes  dazzled,  his  brain  swam, 

and  a  loud  sound,  as  of  water  boiling,  began  singing  in  his  ears;  h©  dis- 

6—7 


94 


TTLNEY   HALL. 


mounted  hastily,  or  he  would  have  fallen  from  his  horse.     "  Gracious  God, 
he  gasped  at  last,  "my  father !   where  —  how  did  you  get  it  ?" 

"  Be  composed  —  be  a  man,"  said  the  woman,  taking  his  hand  between 
her  own,  which  trembled,  however,  as  violently  as  the  Creole's.  You  know 
then  I  am  no  gipsy  juggler,  no  gossippiui^  impostor,  no  crazy  beldam. 
]Novv  summon  your  senses,  and  think  back  as  far  as  you  can  into  child- 
hood, and  tell  me,  if  you  remember  any  such  name  as  —  Indiana?" 

"It  seems  as  familiar  to  me,"  said  the  Creole,  "as  my  own.  My  dear 
father  mentioned  it  on  his  death-bed." 

*'  And  coupled  it  with  a  curse,"  said  the  woman. 

'No,"  said  St.  Kitts.  "In  his  delirium  he  accused  her  of  stabbing  him, 
but  he  was  sensible  when  he  died,  and  Indiana  was  amongst  the  very  last 
words  he  murmured,  with  forgiveness  and  a  blessing." 

The  woman's  head  dropped  at  these  words  ;  she  hastily  seated  herself  in 
the  dust  of  the  road,  and  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  she  wept  till 
the  tears  gushed  out  between  her  fingers.  It  did  not  last  long :  with  a  vio- 
lent effort  she  overcame  her  grief,  and  rose  up,  and  spoke  with  a  firm 
voice. 

"  Had  she  stabbed  him  to  the  heart,  it  had  been  but  a  just  revenge.  There 
are  deeper  and  more  cruel  wounds  than  visible  daggers  can  inflict  — 
wounds  that  bleed  inwardly,  and  are  incurable  ;  and  Indiana  had  her  share  ! 
But  come,  take  a  seat  beside  me  on  this  bank,  —  this  meeting  is  trying  for 
us  both." 

The  Creole  silently  seated  himself  by  her  side,  his  whole  frame  quivering 
with  intense  excitement  and  agitation.  There  was  one  absorbing  question 
in  his  heart,  which  it  yearned,  yet  dreaded,  to  have  solved  ;  and  the  first 
word  of  it  rose  as  often  to  his  throat,  and  was  choked  there,  as  the  "  Amen" 
of  Macbeth.    The  woman  perceived  his  emotion,  and  spoke  first. 

"I  divine  your  thoughts.  You  think,  perhaps  fear,  that  I  may  be  your 
mother  ?"  St.  Kitts  nodded.  "  I  was  your  mother's  dearest  friend  —  her 
sworn  sister  —  your  nurse.  She  was  raised  from  the  same  station  in  life  as 
my  own,  to  be  your  father's  favourite  ;  and  I  lived  with  her  as  her  compa- 
nion, — the  partaker  of  her  fortune,  the  depositary  of  her  secrets  and  wishes. 
You  were  as  frequently  at  my  breast  as  at  hers,  as  often  on  my  lap  as  on 
her  knee ;  and  I  believe  you  owe  me  as  many  embraces  and  kisses.  But 
your  father  was  stabbed  for  inconstancy  —  your  mother  fled  the  island  — 
and  I  became  what  you  see  me  —  an  outcast  and  a  wanderer." 

"  And  my  mother,  is  she  still  alive?"  inquired  the  Creole. 

"If  she  still  lingers  in  this  world  of  wo,"  replied  the  woman,  "it  must 
be,  like  me,  as  a  forlorn  wanderer." 

"  And  you,"  said  the  Creole,  "  you  are  poor,  perhaps  houseless  ;  gracious 
heaven  !  I  remember  you  have  been  in  prison  at  hard  labour." 

"Ay,"  said  the  woman,  smiling  bitterly,  "but  I  complain  not  of  any- 
thing I  can  now  suffer  at  the  hands  of  man.  As  for  my  poverty,  I  feel  it 
not ;  so  put  up  your  purse.  Should  I  want  money,  however,  your  hand, 
Walter  Tyrrel,  is  the  only  one  on  earth  that  would  not  revolt  my  pride, 
though  pride  and  I  must  now  seem  ill-assorted  companions.  And  now, 
mark  me  ;  the  world  is  a  worthless  weedy  place  to  me  ;  but  its  prejudices-, 
are  of  importance  to  the  young  and  hopeful.  My  acquaintance  can  do  you 
no  credit.  You  must  neither  name  me,  nor  recognise  me,  before  others, 
whoever  they  may  be ;  and  this  meeting  must  remain  a  secret  in  our  own 
bosoms.  Seek  me  not ;  heed  me  not ;"  mention  me  not :  but  if  I  should 
summon  you  at  any  time,  by  sign  or  by  token,  be  sure,  Walter  Tyrrel,  to' 
come  to  me,  whether  noonday  or  midnight,  as  if  it  concerned  the  salvation 
of  your  soul." 

"  I  will  obey  your  bidding,  upon  my  honour  and  faith,"  replied  St.  Kitts; 
"  and  now  this  dear  portrait  —  if  gold  will  purchase  it  —  " 


TTLNEY    HALL.  95 

"  Not  the  Indies,"  said  the  woman,  replacing  it  in  her  hosom  ;  "  your 
mother,  in  times  of  doubt  and  danger,  confided  it  to  me  ;  and  bound  me, 
by  a  sacred  oath,  never  to  part  with  it,  unless  she  claimed  it  from  me  her- 
self. When  I  die,  that  trust  shall  devolve  on  you  ;  and  now,  farewell ! 
I  hear  footsteps  in  the  lane.  God  bless  you,  Walter  Tyrrel !  God  bless 
you!"  His  hand  was  snatched,  and  fondly  kissed,  and  she  again  forced  a 
passage  through  the  hedge,  and  disappeared  ;  leaving  the  Creole  silting  on 
the  bank,  scarcely  certain  whether  all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard  had  not 
been  a  day  dream,  and  a  delusion  of  the  senses.  He  conjured  up  anew,  in 
his  mind's  eye,  her  face  and  figure,  as  with  outstretched  arm?!  she  confronted 
him  in  the  road,  and  bade  him  ride  over  her;  and  then  fancy  acted  over 
again  the  vvhole  of  this  singular  scene  in  the  drama  of  his  life.  "  One  ques- 
tion more,"  he  exclaimed,  suddenly  starting  to  his  feet,  with  a  gesture  of 
his  arm,  as  if  to  detain  her  ;  but  she  was  gone,  and  young  Twigg  stood 
grinning  in  the  spot  that  she  had  occupied. 

"Haw!  haw!  haw!"  shouted  the  citizen's  cub;  "stage  playing,  eh? 
Good  morning,  Mr.  Walter,  I  hope  I  do  n't  interrupt  rehearsal  ?" 

"  I  am  no  actor,  Sir,"  said  the  Creole,  who  was  in  no  humour  to  relish  a 
jest. 

"  I  beg  pardon,  but  I  meant  no  offence,"  said  Twigg,  jupior  ;  "I  thought 
you  was  spouting  for  practice,  and  was  glad  to  see  it.  Thinks  I,  he'll 
come  to  our  shampeatcr  in  character.  I  'm  going  to  sport  a  fancy  dress, 
myself     The  governor  means  it  to  be  a  jolly  good  to-do  —  Vauxhall  gala 

—  Twelfih-night  —  May-day  —  Masquerade,  all  rolled  into  one  !" 
"  It  is  an  extraordinary  story,"  said  the  Creole,  musing. 

"  An't  it,  my  boy  ?"  said  young  Twigg,  with  a  smart  punch  of  his  elbow. 
"  The  regular  "thing  to  astonish  the  natives  !  I  '11  lay  a  rump  and  dozen  you 
won't  guess  my  disguise  !" 

"  A  Jack-Pudding,  may  be,"  said  the  Creole,  not  very  well  pleased  to 
have  his  thoughts  interrupted  by  the  rude  freedom  of  his  companion. 

"  No,  no ;  hang  Clowns  and  Fools,"  said  the  other,  "  they  'i-e  so  common. 
I  '11  put  you  up  to  it,  my  boy;  but  mind,  it's  a  word  and  honour  secret.  It 
will  be  a  precious  lark,  and  make  such  a  famous  squall  among  the  petticoats! 
I'm  going  to  dress  up  as  the  brown  gipsy  woman,  that  put  dad  and  'Tilda 
into  such  a  funk  !" 

"Ay,  a  gipsy-woman  ;  but  the  portrait,"  said  the  Creole,  relapsing  into 
abstraction,  "  the  portrait  stamps  truth  on  it  all !" 

"  Brawvo  !  ancoore  !"  shouted  the  delighted  auditor.  "  That 's  your  sort ! 
But  go  on,  man,  I  wont  laugh  at  you  agin  —  go  on  about  the  miniter !" 

"I  must  really  beg  pardon,"  said  the  Creole,  recovering  himself,  "but 
my  thoughts  are  engrossed  by  something  very  interesting  I  have  just  heard 

—  I  mean  to  say  that  I  have  just  read." 

"  Ah,  that 's  a  pity,"  said  the  cub.  "I  never  read.  It  spoils  one's  spark- 
lers, and  makes  a  feller  short:?ighted,  like  your  cousin  Raby.  He  'II  have  to 
sport  goggles  afore  he's  twenty-one,  and  how  will  the  gals  like  that?  No, 
no,  my  boy,  I  mean  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  in  my  head,  to  have  a  slapbang  at 
the  swarms  of  partridges,  and  the  flocks  of  pheasants,  on  the  First  of  Sep- 
tember I" 

"Have  you  bagged  any  birds?"  inquired  St.  Kitts,  by  way  of  saying 
E4>metliino:,  his  mind  still  wandering  as  to  time  and  place. 

"  That 's  a  i^ood  un,"  sa'.d  young  Twi^g,  "  and  this  is  the  12th  of  April ! 

—  Thankee,  I  owe  you  one  :  but  you  did  not  catch  me  out.  I  was  horn 
within  Bow-Bells  sure  enough,  but  I  'm  not  quite  such  a  cockney  as  that. 
But  by  jingo,"  he  added,  looking  hard  at  the  other's  face,  "  you  seem 
wool-gathering!  Come  now,  you're  trying  to  look  as  wise  as  King  Solo- 
mon, but  it  won't  do — it 's  all  sham- Abraham,"  and  he  gave  St.  Kitts  a 
shaking  and  a  slap  on  the  back  as  if  he  was  saving  him  from  choking. 


96  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  'S  death  !  Sir,"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  out  of  all  patience,  "  attempt 
such  a  liberty  again  and  I  '11  knock  you  down  !  There,  Sir,  is  your  road, 
and  this  is  njine;  and  I  must  beg  to  be  left  to  myself  till  I  can  find  bettei 
company  than  niy  own.'' 

*'  Two  can  play  at  that,"  said  the  cub,  winkin^jknowingly,  and  throwing 
himself  into  a  boxing  attitude.  "But  what's  the  fun  of  showing  fight,  and 
shying  up  our  castors,  for  nothing  a  side?  Nobody  wanted  to  rub  you  the 
wrong  way,  and  yet  you  begin  swearing  and  spitting ;  why  you  're  as 
crusty,  man,  as  a  notched  loaf;  a  regular  bear  with  a  sore  head !" 

"Well,  well,"  said  St.  Kitts,  fearful  of  prolonging  the  discussion,  "I 
am  hasty,  and  something  has  happened  to  ruffle  my  temper :  — so  forgive 
me,  and  shake  hands  ;  and  let  us  part  till  1  am  fitter  to  enjoy  the  pleasure 
of  your  society." 

"Why,  that's  well  said,*'  answered  young  Twigg,  "so  tip  us  your 
daddle.  And  now  we  're  friends,  take  a  friend's  advice.  Mind  and  come 
in  full  fig  to  the  Feat ;  for  the  governor  means  to  ask  every  body,  whether 
he  knows  'em  or  not,  so  we're  sure  to  have  all  the  tip-top  swells  and  nobs 
of  the  place.  It  won't  be  a  very  bad  move  neither,  if  you  brush  up  your 
dancing  a  bit,  and  practise  your  toe-and-heels,  and  double-shuffles  ;  for 
there's  some  first-rate  hands  at  hornpipes  a-coming ;  and  you  won't  like 
to  be  cut  out  at  the  hop  on  the  lawn." 

"  I  will  go  into  training  on  purpose,"  said  St.  Kitts,  endeavouring  to 
smile. 

"There's  lots  of  time,"  said  young  Twigg.  "  The  gala  can't  be  got 
up  till  Alay  or  June,  and  I  'm  going  to  have  a  spell  at  the  shop  in  the  mean 
time.  The  governor  sticks  up  like  buckram  for  industry  and  application; 
so  I  'm  to  bundle  to-morrow,  and  not  to  show  my  nose  again  at  Hollington 
till  I'm  asked." 

"  Well,  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  journey,*'  said  the  Creole,  "  and  so  good 
morning."  The  cub  nodded  a  good-by  •  and  St.  Kitts,  putting  his  horse 
to  a  canter,  rode  back  thoughtfully  to  the  Hall.  Instead  of  alighting  at  the 
front  door,  he  went  round  the  house  to  the  stables,  where  he  dismounted, 
and, throwing  therein  to  a  groom,  made  off'bya  back  way  into  the  garden, 
in  order  to  recover  his  composure  before  he  encountered  his  uncle  or  cou- 
sins. After  revolving  all  that  had  passed  in  his  interview  with  the  brown 
woman,  the  conclusion  he  came  to  contributed  little  to  the  ease  of  his  mind. 
It  was  too  probable  that  his  mother  had  been  at  least  the  descendant  of  a 
slave,  a  taint,  even  in  the  third  and  fourth  generations,  attended  with  abso- 
lute degradation  in  the  West  Indies,  where  it  is  not  unusual  for  a  lovely 
brunette,  but  a  shade  too  brown,  to  find  herself  obliged  to  look  on  at  a 
dance,  for  want  of  a  gentleman  with  spirit  or  sense  enough  to  •  stem  the 
popular  prejudice,  by  taking  her  for  a  partner.  It  is  true  that  in  coming  to 
England  the  Creole  had  passed  beyond  the  influence  of  such  invidious  dis- 
tinctions; but  early  habits  and  daily  example  had  so  impressed  on  him  the 
colonial  theory,  ihat  he  naturally  estimated  himself  by  its  degrading  scale, 
and  was, in  his  own  eyes,  a  being  branded  with  a  mark  of  inferiority  wher- 
ever he  w^ent.  Besides,  he  had  fallen  under  a  new  reproach,  that  of  illegi- 
timacy, which  has  more  sway  in  this  island  than  in  that  of  his  birth  ;  and 
the  terms  which  the  brown  woman  had  used  in  speaking  of  his  mother  as 
the  Colonel's  "favourite,"  if  not  actual  evidence,  seemed  to  imply  that 
Ringwood's  accustomed  taunt  was  founded  on  truth.  The  possession  of 
his  father's  portrait,  the  recognition  of  himself,  the  allusion  to  Indiana  with 
her  jealousy  and  revenge,  allowed  him  no  room  to  doubt  the  veracity  of  her 
who  claimed  to  have  been  his  nurse ;  and  he  could  not  help  >yishing  the 
Atlantic  between  himself  and  one  who  knew  so  much  of  his  history.  In 
spite  of  her  injunctions  as  to  secrecy,  he  could  not  feel  certain  but  that  he 
should  one  day  be  claimed  as  a  foster-child  by  the  "aueen  of  the  Gipsies," 


TTLNEY    HALL.  .97 

a  title  which  her  bearinc;  and  appearance  had  obtained  for  her  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  he  f'ores.ivt',  ana  felt  in  anticipation,  the  raillery  and  ridicule 
that  would  arise  from  such  a  text.  Consistent  as  the  woman  had  been  in 
speech,  there  was  a  fitful  wildness  in  her  manner,  which,  on  r(!flection, 
seemed  to  belong  to  insanity;  and  lie  trembled  to  thirdv  what  crazy  pro- 
jects her  infirm  faculty  might  sui^-gest,  to  his  personal  disgrace  and  annoy- 
ance. Imbittered  by  these  reflections,  his  temper  turned  against  tlie 
van  lercr  rnd  he  fervently  wished  that  the  next  time  she  came  before 
Justice  Rivars,  it  might  be  fcr  s^im  off«noe  that  would  incur  transportation 
beyond  the  seas,  for  the  tv.rm  of  her  natural  life. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

**  I  can't  get  cut  —  I  can't  get  out  I"  said  the  starling. 

Sterne's  Sentimental  Jouunet. 

"  I  say  this  house  is  as  dark  as  ignorance,  though  ignorance  were  as  dark  as  hell :  and 
I  say,  there  was  never  man  thus  abused." 

Maltolio. 

"  Here  I  am,  caught  like  a  fox-  in  a  gin,  a  bear  in  a  pitfall,  a  thief  in  a  jail,  a  porpoise 
in  a  net,  a  frog  in  a  well  !  I  shall  be  killed  and  grilled  !  Help  !  help  !  Fire  !  Murder  • 
Thieves  !  —  Thieves  !  Murder  !  Fire  !" 

•         Captain  Crowe. 

The  next  morning,  as  Twigg  Junior  had  predicted,  he  was  turned  out  of 
the  Hi^'e  like  a  drone,  and  sent  to  mingle  with  the  swarm  of  busy  bees  in 
the  metropolis.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  Twigg  Senior  clutched  the  great 
green  umbrella  that  so  offended  Miss  Matilda,  and  set  out  on  a  visit  to 
Squire  Ned,  at  his  cottage,  in  order  to  confer  with  him  about  what  he  called 
*'  setting  up  in  a  new  line  of  business."  The  reiterated  wishes  of  his  wife, 
and  the  urgent  remonstrances  of  his  daughter,  had  induced  him  to  think 
seriously  of  taking  the  field,  and  having  his  old  "  ideas  taught  hov/  to 
shoot ;"  particularly  as  he  had  remarked  that  every  man  of  property  carried 
a  gun,  took  out  a  license,  and  shot  over  his  own  grounds.  As  his  son  had 
formed  a  sort  of  acquaintance  with  the  Squire,  he  pitched  upon  the  latter  as 
a  person  he  would  request  to  put  him,  as  he  called  it,  "  through  his  exer- 
cise ;"  and  his  present  errand  was  to  see  whether  Ned  would  undertake  the 
mstruction  of  a  pupil  so  adult. 

After  half  an  hour's  walk,  he  came  in  sight  of  the  chimneys  of  the  cot- 
tage, the  refractory  one  towering  a  yard  above  the  others,  with  a  zig-zag 
pipe,  wealing  a  tin  gipsy-hat.  Another  specimen  of  Ned's  mechanical  in- 
genuity confronted  the  visiter  at  the  very  threshold,  for  on  lifting  the  knock- 
er, a  small  spring  panel  imediately  revolved,  and  exhibited  the  v/ords  "Not 
at  Home."     On  the  fall  of  the  knocker  the  inscription  disappeared. 

"  By  jingo,"  exclaimed  the  citizen,  "it's  not  a  bad  plan,  and  particularly 
if  you've  got  a  decidedly  serious  servant,  that  objects  to  tell  tarradiddleg 
about  your  ins  and  outs.  If  the  master 's  abroad  though,  there  can't  be  any 
harm  in  one's  stepping  in  to  sit  down  and  rest  a  bit,  for  I  do  n't  feel  myself 
quite  such  a  good  walker,  now  I  'm  a  man  of  property,  as  I  was  when  I 
used  to  trudge  on  errands  !" 

As  the  knocker,  however,  produced  only  the  same  intimation,  he  looked 
carefully  about  for  a  bell-handle,  and  at  last,  discovered  a  httle  brass  knob, 
whereat  he  gave  a  pull  ;  but  instead  of  producing  a  ring,  it  unlatched  the 
door,  which  immediately  flew  wide  open  of  its  own  accord  :  a  very  neces- 
sary contrivance  of  the  Squire's,  in  order  to  obtain  access  to  his  own  premi- 

E 


98  TYLNKT  HALL. 

ses,  for  his  in-door  establishment  consisted  only  of  an  old  honsek  *eper,  who 
was  so  deaf  that  slie  would  not  have  answered  the  summons  of  a  Great 
Tom  of  Lincoln.  Accordingly  after  two  or  three  fruitless  halloos,  Twig^ 
entered  the  passage,  and,  treading  as  cautiously  as  if  he  expected  at  every 
step  to  let  off  a  steel-trap  or  a  spring-gun,  he  came  to  a  door  on  the  right, 
which  stood  open,  and  allowed  him  a  glimpse  of  the  very  thing  he  wanted, 
a  settee. 

On  entering,  he  found  himself  in  a  circular  room,  panoramically  painted, 
as  if  in  continuation  of  the  prospect  which  was  seen  through  the  one  win- 
dow, and  so  interesting  was  the  landscape,  and  so  beautifully  executed, 
that  even  his  fatigue  did  not  prevent  the  citizen's  making  the  tour  of  the 
chamber,  and  inspecting  the  picture  in  all  its  parts  ,  particularly  admiring 
a  village  church,  the  tower  of  which  had  a  dial  going  by  clockwork,  and, 
as  lie  satisfied  himself  by  his  own  watch,  keeping  time  very  exactly.  To 
observe  the  general  effect  vhe  better,  he  sliut  the  door,  which  closed  with  a 
spring,  and  then  placing  the  settee  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  he  sat  down 
to  enjoy  the  exhibition  at  leisure.  The  same  clockwork  which  regulated 
the  church-dial  gave  motion  to  the  sails  of  a  windmill  —  it  was  aliogether 
the  most  wonderful  and  amusing  sight  he  had  ever  seen,  and  he  had  jusS 
'  come  to  the  resolution  that  he  would  go  back  for  Mrs.  T.  and  Matilda,^ 
when  a  sudden  thought  occurred  to  him,  which  made  him  jump  up  sud- 
denly from  his  seat,  and  begin  to  inspect  the  painting  much  loo  closely  to 
be  of  advantage  to  its  effect.  But  the  search  was  in  vain.  The  door  with 
invisible  hinges  fitted  to  such  a  nicety,  that  he  could  not  discover  the  least 
crack  in  the  wall ;  and,  ift  the  bewilderment  of  his  admiration  at  first  sight 
of  the  panorama,  he  had  taken  no  note  of  its  situation.  In  vain  he  trotted 
round  and  round  like  a  rat  in  a  trap  ;  and  quite  as  fruitlessly  he  exerted  his 
voice  ;  nobody  heard  him  ;  a  painted  shepherd  kept  regardlessly  piping  on 
to  his  flock,  and  an  arch-looking  Phillis  sat  provokingly  smiling  under  a 
tree,  as  if  in  ridicule  of  his  distress.  There  was  no  bell- rope  to  apply  to, 
but,  after  a  close  scrutiny,  he  perceived  a  little  knob  at  a  cottage  window  ; 
he  pressed  it,  the  lattice  flew  open,  and  a  spring-tray  protruded,  furnished 
with  biscuits,  decanters  of  wine,  and  some  glasses.  Twigg  was  too  much 
flustered,  however,  to  profit  by  the  discovery  ;  every  moment  he  got  more 
nervous,  to  think  how  the  Squire,  almost  a  stranger  to  him,  might  resent 
the  hberties  he  had  taken  in  his  house.  With  a  tremulous  hand  he  attempt- 
ed to  restore  the  cottage- window  to  statu  quo  :  but  not  knowing  the  knack 
or  applying  too  much  force,  the  spring  suddenly  snapped,  and  it  slammed  to 
with  a  crash  and  a  jingle  that  assured  him  he  had  broken  all  the  glass  that 
was  within.  He  was  in  agony.  One  moment  he  prayed,  the  next  minute 
he  swore ;  he  cursed  his  wife  and  his  daughter  for  advising  the  visit,  and 
liimself  for  entering  the  house,  and  the  Squire  for  contriving  it.  He  con- 
signed the  painter  to  perdition,  and  the  builder,  and  the  man  that  had  sold 
the  glasses  —  then  ho  appealed  to  heaven  to  get  him  out  of  the  worst  scrape 
he  ever  was  in  in  all  his  life;  a*nd  then,  in  a  paroxysm  of  impotent  rage, 
he  shook  his  fist  at  the  insensible  shepherd,  and  made  faces  at  the  smiling 
shepherdess. 

It  occurred  to  him,  at  last,  that  as  he  could  not  show  himself  the  door,  he 
might  turn  himself  out  of  the  window  ;  but  Ned's  window  was  not  made 
like  other  people's  ;  and  it  would  neither  throw  up,  nor  pull  down,  nor  open 
sideways.  It  would,  not  even  allow  a  single  pane  to  open,  like  the  old 
casements,  to  give  hun  a  little  air,  of  which  he  really  stood  in  need.  The 
drops  hung  on  his  forehead,  and  he  was  as  flushed  in  the  face  as  if  he  had 
heen  cooking  a  dinner  for  the  Beefsteak  Club.  A  new  experiment  present- 
ed itself,  and  with  no  better  result ;  a  large  knob,  painted  hke  a  ripe  apple 
in  an  orchard,  being  turned,  set  a  bird-organ  playing,  and  he  did  not 
'now how  to  stop  it;  although,  in  the  excited  state  of  iiis  nerves,  the  rnu- 


TYLNEY    HALL.  99 

sic  had  as  jarring  an  effect  as  if  it  had  been  the  clang  of  c  copper-foundry. 
He  wished  himself  any  where  ;  —  back  in  business,  —  in  a  horse-pond,  — 
in  a  mob,  —  in  an  Irish  row,  —  in  a  storm  at  sea,  —  in  the  Bench,  —  in  a  con- 
demned cell, —  in  a  coffin.  Hesat  down,  and  jumped  up  again  ;  he  wrung  his 
hands,  —  stamped  about,  —  ground  his  teeth,  and  raved.  He  called  on  the 
Devil  to  fly  away  with  him  ;  wanted  the  earth  to  open  and  swallow  him  up ; 
wished  himself  turned  into  a  spider,  or  a  blue-bottle.  In  short,  he  did  and 
said  a  thousand  extravagances  ;  and  all  the  while  he  vented  his  exclama- 
tions and  lamentations,  the  infernal  bird-organ  kept  warbling  its  accompa- 
niment, driving  him  as  wild  and  rampant  as  a  cow  at  the  buzz  of  a  breeze- 
fly.  He  slapped  his  own  face,  pulled  his  own  nose,  and  did  all  he  could  ;  if 
it  had  been  possible,  he  would  have  kicked  himself  for  being  such  an  ass 
as  to  get  into  such  a  pound. 

Passionate  men  are  always  unreasonable.  An  hour  passed  away,  and 
the  Squire  did  not  make  his  appearance,  for  wJiichTwigg  bestowed  on  him 
all  the  abusive  epithets,  simple  and  compound,  his  memory  or  imagination 
could  furnish.  He  swore  that  honest  Ned  had  gone  out,  and  remained  out 
on  purpose  ;  and  gave  him  credit  for  the  most  atrocious  and  barbarous  de- 
vices. He  thought  he  snuffed  brimstone ;  then,  that  the  floor  was  growing 
hot  under  him  ;  then,  that  he  felt  trap-doors  opening  beneath  his  fet^.  Sti- 
mulated by  these  terrors,  he  had  almost  made  himself  up,  like  an  imprisoned 
cat,  for  a  desperate  dash  through  the  window,  when  he  observed  another 
little  knob,  which  he  supposed  would  liberate  the  sash.  He  pressed  it,  ac- 
cordingly, when  lo,  instead  of  the  windows  flying  open,  as  he  expected,  two 
outer  shutters  flapped  to,  and,  in  an  instant,  by  way  of  climax  to  his  hor- 
rors, he  was  immersed  in  Cimmerian  darkness. 

VVhat  a  situation  for  a  man  of  weak  nerves  !  He  did  not  dare  to  stir  ; 
but  he  bellowed  murder  till  he  was  as  hoarse  as  a  raven,  and  as  hot,  faint, 
weary,  and  thirsty  as  Governor  Holwell  in  the  Black-Hole  at  Calcutta.  At 
last,  just  as  he  had  given  himself  over,  he  discovered  where  the  door  was,  by 
its  being  suddenly  opened  in  his  face  ;  the  smiUng  shepherdess  favouring  him 
with  a  salute  that  made  him  clap  his  hand  in  some  trepidation  to  his  nose, 
while  the  water  gushed  from  his  eyes. 

"Dark,  eh?"  exclaimed  the  Sqiaire,  as  he  looked  into  the  room  ;  '*  who 
the  deuce " 

"  It 's  me,  T.  Twigg,  Esquire,  of  the  flive,  Hollington,"  responded  a 
snuffling  voice  from  the  interior, . 

"  Stand  fast,"  said  Ned,  —  "soon  be  all  right;"  and  in  a  moment  the 
shutters  flew  back,  and  allowed  the  daylight  to  introduce  the  two  gentlemen 
to  each  other. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,"  said  Ned  ;  "ought  to  have  been  home  sooner  ;  but 
Barney  cast  a  shoe.     Haven't  waited  long,  eh?" 

"  Pray,  do  n't  mention  it,"  resumed  Twigg;  "  a  retired  man  of  property, 
Tdce  me,  is  n't  tied  to  time.  He  can  always  spare  a  couple  of  hours,  or  so ; 
and  I  never  spent  any  time  more  agreeably ;  what  with  looking  at  the  pic- 
ture, and  listening  to  the  pretty  music  of  the  bird-organ.  Mr.  Squire,  you 
have  a  delighti^d  fancy- room  here  ;  you  have  indeed  !" 

"Pretty  well,"  said  Ned,  evidently  gratified  at  this  praise;  "a  mere 
whim.     Ai.  ny  own  plan,  —  elevation,  section,  and  all  that  !" 

"  Mr.  Squire,"  said  Twigg,  "  I  hope  it 's  no  intrusion  ;  but  having  a  little 
matter  to  talk  about  with  you,  I  determined  to  walk  over  at  once." 

"  Gluite  right,"  said  Ned,  "heartily  welcome  —  pray  sit  down  —  walked, 
eh  ?  —  a  decent  pull,— a  bit  of  a  snack  will  come  well  after  tliat,"  and  the 
host  made  a  motion  towards  the  cottage  window,  which  contained  the  tray. 

*'  Pray  do  n't  trouble  yourself,"  said  Twigg,  interposing,  "  I  beg  you 
won't, —  I  insist  upon  it,  — I  assure  you  I  lunched  five  minutes  ago  —  that 
Is  to  say  —  I  never  lunch,  for  I'ear  of  spoiling  my  dinner." 


100  TYLNEY    HA.LL. 

"  Only  a  glass  of  wine,  and  a  bite  of  biscuit,"  said  Ned,  still  making  for 
the  depot. 

"  Not  for  the  world,  my  dear  Sir,"  replied  Twi^g,  taking  hold  of  the 
Squire  by  both  arms  ;  I  can't  digest  of  a  morning,  I  should  have  the  heart- 
burn ;  sherry,  before  dinner,  always  gives  me  the  heartburn,  as  sure  as  a 
gun  !" 

In  spite  of  this  protestation,  the  speaker  never  longed  so  much  for  a  glass  of 
wine  in  his  life  ;  but  he  had  not  moral  courage  enough  to  face  the  disclosure 
of  the  damage  he  had  done.  Ever)  man  has  his  bug-bear;  and  Twig^'s 
was  a  nervous  horror  of  what  he  called  "  kicking  up  rumpuses  in  strange 
houses ;"  and  he  felt  all  the  anxious  terrors  of  a  murderer,  who  expected, 
every  moment,  that  the  mangled  relics  of  his  victim  would  be  brought  to 
light.  Afraid,  after  all  his  excuses,  that  the  Squire  might  take  it  into  lis 
head  to  go  to  the  cupboard,  he  had  recourse  to  a  stroke  of  generalship. 
Affecting  to  have  examined  one  side  of  the  room,  he  removed  the  settee  to 
the  other,  gradually  backing,  as  if  for  the  sake  of  the  effect,  till  he  had  plant- 
ed himself  right  in  front  of  the  cottage  window  that  enclosed  his  secret; 
and  in  this  favourable  position  he  felt  more  at  ease  to  enter  on  the  object  of 
his  visit. 

"  lt\very  ridiculous,  Mr.  Squire,"  said  Twigg,  after  some  preliminary 
humming  and  hawing,  "and  you'll  hardly  believe  it  of  one  in  my  wealthy 
and  respectable  station  in  life,  but  I  never  let  off*  anything  since  I  was  a 
baby  —  never,  not  even  a  pop-gun." 

"very  odd  indeed,"  said  Ned.  "  What  could  your  father  and  mother 
be  about  ?  Not  like  me.  Had  a  single  barrel  at  twelve,  a  double  at  four- 
teen, won  a  pigeon-cup  at  fifteen,  the  crack  of  the  volunteer  rifles  at  eighteen, 
and  at  twenty  never  wanted  a  pair  of  snuffers,  when  there  was  a  pair  of 
pistols.  Nothing  like  beginning  young,  —  always  break  your  dogs  while 
they  're  puppies." 

"  That 's  very  true,"  said  Twigg,  "  but  when  I  was  young  I  'd  no  chance, 
no  more  than  if  I  'd  been  born  in  a  bandbox.  Boys  bred  at  cneap  Yorkshire 
schools,  if  they  a' n't  forbid  gunpowder,  are  forb'd  pocket-money,  which 
comes  to  the  same  thing.  With  only  one  suit  to  our  backs  we  could  never 
get  up  a  Guy,  and  till  I  came  to  London  I  did  n't  know  a  squib  from  a 
sassage.  I  do  n't  mind  saying  what  I  rose  from.  Many  a  time  the  morn- 
ing sun  seems  to  get  up  out  of  a  dunghill,  or  a  chimney-pot,  but  he  makes 
his  way  uppards,  and  leaves  off"  all  in  a  blaze,  among  purple  clouds,  turned 
up  with  crimson,  and  laced  with  silver  and  gold  like  a  sheriff's  liveries." 

"  Looks  awkward  tho',"  said  Ned,  "  for  a  country  gentleman  not  to  be 
up  to  a  gun  —  very  awkward  indeed  —  wonder  you  a'  n't  quizzed  !" 

"  That 's  just  what  I  'm  afraid  of,"  answered  Twigg  ;  "  all  the  Hollington 
gentry  go  volleying  about  their  fields,  and  it  looks  as  if  I  could  n't  afford  a 
license,  —  or  that  my  freehold  landed  estate,  and  the  game,  was  n't  my  own 
property.  I  siiould  really  like  to  pop  about  a  bit,  whether  I  hit  nothing  or 
not,  just  for  the  look  of  the  thing  ;  and  a  protection  besides,  for  the  country 
roads  always  swarm  with  footpads  and  highwaymen,  and  the  bye  lanes 
with  gipsies  and  vagabonds.  As  Mrs.  Twigg  says,  when  it  comes  to  money 
or  your  life,  what's  an  umbrella  against  a  shower  of  shot?  There 'd  be 
some  sense,  says  she,  in  a  musket  and  a  good  mastifl^,  for  I  would  n't  give 
a  fig  for  the  little  footy  spaniels  the  Hollington  gentlemen  are  so  lond  of!" 

"  Mastiff",  eh  ?"  said  Ned  ;  "  very  well  for  flushing  a  burglar,  but  won't 
do  for  cocks  —  must  have  spaniels." 

"  Well,"  said  Twigg,  "  that's  neither  here  nor  there.  It's  the  gunnery 
I  want  to  learn  ;  the  prime  and  load,  and  make  ready,  present,  fire.  As  1 
said  before,  I  know  no  more  about  it  than  the  man  in  the  moon  ;  and  a3 
you  've  been  so  kind  as  to  give  T.  junior  a  help  out  in  his  sportinEf,  if  you  'd 
extend  your  favours  in  the  same  line,  and  give  me  a  bit  of  a  drill  now  and 


TYLNET   Hi.LL.  -  10 1 

then,  the  same  would  have  been  thant.fuliy  repejv^d,  and  gratcful'y  acknow- 
ledged." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  the  good-natured  Squire  ;  *'  come  along, — 
begin  at  once,  —  have  a  bang  or  two  at  the  old  barn." 

"  What,  with  a  regular  full  load  ?"  inquired  Twigg,  with  some  trepidation. 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Ned;  "a  regular  charge  —  fit  to  bring  down  a 
pheasant." 

"  Mr.  Squire,"  said  Twigg,  "  I  hope  you  '11  excuse  my  objections,  but 
I  'm  one  of  the  old  school,  and  like  to  begin  at  the  beginning.  A,  B,  C, 
first,  you  know,  and  then  words  of  one  syllable,  and  then  two  syllables, 
and  so  on.  I  want  to  be  well  grounded  in  the  rudiment ;  and  so,  if  it 's  the 
same  to  you,  I  would  prefer  commencing  with  flashes  in  the  pans." 

"  Flashes  in  fiddlesticks  !"  said  Ned  ;  "  phoo,  phoo,  the  barrel 's  clean  — 
won't  want  a  kicking-strap  ;  —  do  n't  be  nervous." 

"  Between  you  and  me,"  said  Twigg,  "  my  nerves  are  a  little  out  of  sorts 
I'm  afraid  I  pushed  the  bottle  last  night  rather  too  freely,  and  my  hand 
shakes  so,  I  'm  sure  I  could  n't  hit  your  old  barn  if  it  was  as  big  as  the 
Mansion-house  !  Unaccustomed  as  1  am  to  public  shooting,  I  should 
injure  somebody  —  I  should,  upon  my  life  !" 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Ned,  "  every  body  for  themselves." 

"No,  no,"  aii?wered  Twigg.  "I  positively  won't  shoot  to-day,  nut  am 
obliged  all  the  same.  I  never  meant  to  begin  this  morning.  I  only  came 
to  feel  my  way;  I  did  indeed;  and  besides  it's  getting  late.  I'll  come 
again,  wi\h  a  long  morning  before  m&,  Mr.  Squire,  and  we  '11  pop  ofl^  like 
old  gooseberry  !" 

""Name  vour  time,"  said  the  Squire. 

"  Why,  then,  suppose  we  say  Monday,"  said  Twigg,  "  or  Monday  week ; 
or  Monday  fortnight ;  for  then  I  can  get  a  jacket  and  cetera  made  against 
our  field-day.  I  dare  say  I  shall  be  a  rare  awkward  squad,  Mr.  Squire  ; 
but  you  must  make  allowances.  1  'm  raw  at  it,  quite  raw —  and  never  as 
much  as  let  off  a  penny  cannon  !  But  we  must  live  and  learn.  I  expect  I 
shall  jump  at  the  first'bang  or  two  ;  but,  says  you,  I  'd  plug  my  ears  well 
with  cotton." 

"  Monday  fortnight,  then,"  said  Ned  —  "that's  the  fixture.  But  hold 
hard  —  mus  n't  go  without  a  snack  —  a  glass  of  wine  any  how,  and  success 
to  the  trisser !" 

"  I  could  n't  drink  a  drop,  if  it  was  to  save  my  life,"  declared  Twigg, 
fervently  wishing  that  between  his  host  and  the  cupboard  there  had  been  a 
high  wall,  with  all  the  broken  glass  on  the  top  of  it.  A  question  follov/ed, 
for"  which  he  had  good  reasons  of  his  own,  although  its  oddness  made  Ned 
stare  as  hard  as  a  man  could  stare  who  had  only  one  eye. 

"Mr.  Squire  —  if  I  may  ask,  —  do  you  keep  a  cat?" 

"  Never,"  said  Ned  ;  —  "  take  all  their  nine  lives,  if  they  come  into  the 
place.  Worse  than  foxes  among  game !  Never  kept  cats  in  my  life  — 
barring  ferrets." 

"You  astonish  me,"  said  Twigg;  "  I  wonder  how  you  manage.  At 
Hollington  we  should  be  eaten  up  alive  by  the  rats  and  mice,  if  it  was  n't 
for  the  cats  :  I  can't  say  I  like  cats  myself:  but  they  're  useful  animals  in 
their  way ;  though,  to  be  sure,  they  play  the  deuce  with  us  now  and  then, 
by  getting  into  our  cupboards,  and  knocking  down  the  glass  and  china  !" 

So  saymg,  he  looked  at  his  watch  and  jumped  up  with  an  exclamation 
on  the  flinhl  of  time;  whereupon,  taking  a  hasty  leave  of  the  S(iuire,  he 
trotted  off"  with  tlie  pace  of  a  man  who  has  backed  himself  to  perform  four 
miles  within  the  hour  ;  two  forwards,  trundling  a  hoop,  and  two  backv/ards, 
wheeling  a  barrow,  with  a  stone  to  be  picked  up  at  every  twenty  yards. 

The  ex-citizen,  altiiough  he  had  succeeded  in  engaging  a  Mentor,  to 
direct  him  in  the  field,  was  not  particularly  well  pleased  with  the  result  of 


*02  TYLNET   HALL. 

hie  visit  tc  tlis  cohar^o.  He  hr.A  a  violent  desire  to  do  as  those  of  his  Rom© 
did,  and  to  put  himself  on  a  par  with  his  neighbours  at  HoHington  ;  so  that 
a  gun  appeared  a  desirable  object  in  perspective,  but  the  moment  that  fire- 
arms were  g;oing  actually  to  be  put  into  his  hands,  he  found  his  courage, 
hke  that  of  Acres,  beginning  to  ooze  out  of  the  ends  of  his  fingers.  The 
abrupt  character  of  Ned,  too,  excited  his  distaste  and  distrust.  "  I  do  n't 
fancy  him,"  said  he  to  himself;  "  he  's  too  daring.  We  must  creep  before 
M'e  go;  and  if  he  had  proposed  half-loads  at  first,  or'popping  off  pocket- 
pistols,  I  should  n't  have  minded  ;  but  to  begin  with  letting  off  a  whole 
barrel  of  powder  and  shot,  or  may  be  ttvo  barrels,  does  n't  seem  prudent. 
He  's  a  great  deal  too  daring  ;  and,  by  the  way,  1  observed  he  'd  blown  off 
two  of  his  own  fingers  —  of  course,  not  by  a  moderate  scale  of  charges!" 

So  saying,  he  clutched  more  firmly  his  old  weapon,  the  green  unibrellaj 
and  gave  it  a  flourish,  as  if  deciding  upon  sticking  to  it ;  when  suddenly  he 
heard  a  low  grumbling  sound  from  the  hedge,  like  thei  maundering  of  a 
cantankerous  bull.  He  immediately  halted,  and  spread  open  his  parapluie, 
which  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  the  best  object  in  the  world  for  searing  off 
cattle;  but  instead  of  a  bull,  an  ungainly  human  animal  came  scrambling 
over  a  srile,  and  in  a  moment  stood  before  Twigg  like  a  lion  in  his  path, 
and  scowling  upon  him  from  under  a  pair  of  black  shaggy  eyebrows.  He 
was  at  least  six  feet  high,  broad-chested  and  high-shouldered,  long-legged 
f  .id  long-armed,  and  The  upper  limbs  kept  sawing  the  air  like  the  sails  of 
a  windmill,  one  huge  hand  brandishing  a  roll  of  paper,  and  the  other  a 
walking-stick,  which  showed  a  good  cross  of  the  cudgel.  He  had  a  vile 
overhanging  brow,  and  his  deep-set  eyes  played  at  bo-peep  behind  his 
prominent  cheek-bones ;  his  nose  was  large  and  his  mouth  wide,  with  a 
projecting  lower  jaw,  and  jowls  like  a  bull-dog.  Altogether,  it  was  a 
countenance  that,  stamped  on  the  copper  coin,  would  have  made  a  good 
halfpenny  look  hke  a  bad  one.  His  lank  hair  hung  unkempt  from  under  a 
low-crowned,  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  his  whole  suit  of  apparel  was  black, 
somewhat  rusty.  In  short,  he  looked  not  unlike  what  one  would  conceive 
of  Eugene  Aram,  part  schoolmaster,  and  pari  murderer,  and  a  very  ugly 
customer,  as  Twigg  felt  at  a  glance,  for  a  man  of  property  to  encounter  in 
a  long  lane  without  a  turning. 

"  Hold !"  said  the  man,  in  a  harsh,  grating  voice.  "  Stand  fast,  and  look 
to  your  ways  !     Do  you  know  where  you  are  a-going !" 

"  To  be  sure  I  do,"  said  Twigg,  with  a  quaver  in  his  voice ;  "  I  'm  going 
to  Hollingten." 

'*  Aye,  so  you  thinks,"  said  the  mfin,  "  and  so  thinks  the  blind  as  gropes 
in  the  dark.     But  you  're  a-going  a  road  you  little  dream  on  !" 

"  If  I  'm  trespassing,"  said  Twigg,  *'  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons.  I  'd  go 
a  mile  round  rather  than  trespass  on  any  gentleman's  private  grounds. 
Nobodv  respects  property  more  than  I  do!" 

"  Dirt  and  dross,"  said  the  man,  "  dirt  and  dross.  Think  on  your  immortal 
soul;  for  Death  cometh  before  you  are  awares  !"  —  and  he  gave  such  a 
flourish  of  his  bludgeon,  that  Twigg  involuntarily  made  a  parry  with  his 
umbrella.  Like  Robinson  Crusoe  in  the  thunder-storm,  when  his  powder- 
magazine,  and  all  the  consequences  of  its  explosion,  flashed  across  his  mind, 
as  swiftly  as  the  lightning  across  his  eyes,  the  citizen's  fears  crowded  a 
hundred  thoughts  into  a  second  of  time.  He  recalled  the  threatening  letter, 
with  all  its  horrible  denunciations  —  suspected  the  Squire  had  adopted  it 
out  of  good  nature,  to  pacifv  the  family  frars  —  and  jumped  to  the  conclu- 
sion, ail  in  ji  breath,  that  the  frowning  figure  before  him  was  that  arch- 
incendiary,  Hell-Fire  Dick  himself. 

"  Mr.  Richard,"  began  Twigg,  with  as  civil  a  manner  as  he  could  assume, 
4nd  edging  off  a  little  to  the  right  — 

"  Do  n't  Richard  me,"  sjfid  the  man,  warily  dodging  him :  "  my  name 's 


TYLNEY    HALL.  103 

Uriah,  a  ch6sen  instrument  to  do  his  work"  —  here  a  whirl  of  the  bludgeon — 
"  and  one  what  won't  do  it  neghgontly.  Prepare,  I  say  ;  prepare  for  death : 
the  enemy  is  at  hand.  There  's  flames  of  fire  awaiting  for  you,  and  burn- 
ing brimstone!"' 

"  I  know  It,"  said  Twigg,  with  a  groan.  "Your  favour  came  duly  to 
hand.  But  is  there  no  way — won't  ^he  fifty  yellow  boys  buy  mercy  ?  I 
have  n't  got  'em  about  me,  but  if  you  'U  name  your  own  time  and  place  to 
send  'em  to —  sha'  n't  we  be  saved  from  the  fire  ?" 

"No,"  answered  the  man,  in  a  tone  that  startled  Twigg  like  a  clap  of 
thunder  ;  —  and  then  presenting  his  roll  of  paper  at  the  citizen  as  if  it  had 
been  a  horse-pistol,  he  added,  "Read  this  here!" 

"  If  it 's  the  same  to  you,"  said  Twigg,  shuddering,  and  drawing  back  aa 
tf  from  a  red-hot  poker,  "I'd  rather  not.  I've  had  one  of  your  bloody  burn- 
ing notices,  and  it 's  quite  enough.    I  would  n't  read  another  for  the  world !" 

"  Die  then,  and  be  d — d  !"  shouted  the  man,  with  such  a  ferocious  face 
and  such  an  awful  flourish  of  both  arms,  bludgeon  and  all,  that  Twigg  felt 
certain  his  last  hour  was  at  hand.  Collecting  all  his  energy,  he  gave  his 
umbrella  a  flirt  open,  fuJl  in  the  face  of  his  enemy,  and  then,  taking  advan- 
tage of  this  niancEuvre,  he  sprung  past  him,  and  set  off"  homeward  at  a  pace 
that  belongs  only  to  a  man  who  is  running  for  life,  dear  life.  The  ruffian 
he  thought  pursued  him  ;  —  he  fancied  he  heard  bis  heavy  tread  —  every  in- 
stant he  expected  to  feel  the  formidable  stick  descend  upon  his  devoted 
skull,  —  and  absorbed  in  this  retrospective  review,  he  almost  ran  under  the 
horse's  nose  before  he  was  aware  of  meeting  the  old  covered  chaise  of  Dr. 
Bellamy. 

"  Mr,  Twigg,"  said  Old  Formality,  pulling  up  and  bowing,  "  this  is  really 
an  unexpected  gratification.  But,  gracious  heaven,  —  if  I  may  presume  to 
ask.  Sir,  what  has  produced  these  symptoms  of  nervous  irritability?  —  for, 
begging  pardon  for  the  liberty  of  the  remark,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
with  you  under  very  strong  symptoms  of  excitement." 

"It's  murder's  the  matter,"  said  Twigg,  gasping  for  breath;  "wilf'jl 
murder !  —  Doctor  —  I  've  been  stopped  !  —  " 

"  The  Lord  forbid  !"  ejaculated  Old  Formality,  and  in  spite  of  his  habitual 
politeness  he  pulled  his  horse  round  and  turned  the  back  of  his  vehicle  on 
the  owner  of  the  Hive.  However,  before  the  old  rhubarb-coloured  draught- 
horse  could  lift  his  legs  into  trot,  he  recollected  himself  and  his  urbanity, 
and  desiring  the  boy  to  get  up  behind,  he  invited  Twigg  to  occupy  the  va- 
cant seat,  insisting  that  the  arterial  palpitation  and  pectoral  action  would 
be  perniciously  aggravated  by  the  walk  to  Hollington.  It  was  too  agree- 
able an  offer  to  be  declined,  and  Twigg  ascended  with  great  alacrity  into 
the  vehicle,  where  he  related  at  full  length  his  tale  of  terror,  concluding  with 
rather  an  exaggerated  description  of  the  bloodthirsty  Uriah. 

"  I  know  Uriah  well,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and  really  am  shocked  to  have 
to  use  such  terms  of  speech  ;  but  moral  indignation  compels  me  to  say  ho 
is  a  sad  scoundrel  and  hypocrite.  He  keeps  what  is  vulgarly  called  a  shop 
of  all  sorts  in  the  village,  and  is  a  general  dealer,  so  general,  indeed,  that 
religion  is  one  of  his  items  of  trade.  The  paper  he  had  the  honour  of  offer- 
ing for  your  acceptance  was  indubitably  a  tract,  a\id  his  exhibition  of  sul- 
phur, in  a  state  of  combustion,  involved  a  spiritual  meaning  ;  for  he  has  a 
determined  predisposition  to  consign  people  to  a  place,  which,  as  the  polish- 
ed Pope  says,  ought  not  to  be  named  in  polite  ears.  My  truly  amiable  and 
excellent  partner  condescended  to  deal  with  him  some  time,  but  she  was 
eventually  compelhd  to  decline,  owing  to  what,  in  delicate  language,  might 
V:  oalied  a  tendency  to  mistake  troy  weight  for  avoirdupois." 

"  Ah.  like  enough,"  said  Twio;g,  "  We  had  some  of  the  same  serious 
kidney  in  the  hardware  line,  and  precious  screws  they  were.  There  was 
that  Elisha  Dove,  he  wanted  to  do  me  out  of  some  goods  by  a  regular  swia 


104  TYLNEY    HALL. 

die ;  but  I  knew  he  was  one  of  the  decided  pious,  that  wiote  scripture  te^tH 
on  the  backs  of  his  cheques,  and  that  put  me  on  my  guard.  No,  no,  I  do  n't 
see  what  tracts  has  to  do  with  trade,  and  always  svispoct  a  man  that  car- 
ries his  rehgion  into  his  counting-house,  and  opens  his  Bible  with  one  hand 
and  his  Icger  with  the  other.  I  never  meet  one  of  them,  but  says  I  to  my- 
self '  take  care  of  your  pocket  I'  They  cheat  and  lie  on  one  side  of  the  book, 
and  then  set  off  their  tract- giving  on  the  other,  by  way  of  a  per  contra.  I  '11 
be  bound  this  Uriah  strikes  some  such  balance  against  the  devil  every  Sa- 
turday night !" 

"  Mr.  Twigg,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I  have  the  pleasure  of  entirely  coinciding 
in  your  disagreeable  opinion.  The  individual  alluded  to  has  a  little  chapel 
of  his  own  appended  to  his  back-shop,  and  I  am  credibly  informed,  by  a 
character  of  undeniable  veracity,  that  he  has  seen  a  letter  from  Uriah  to  his 
town  agent,  containing  a  business  order  for  a  hogshead  of  sugar,  two  chests 
of  souchongj  five  hundred  weight  of  soap,  a  barrel  of  red  herrings,  and  one 
evangelical  minister,  all  at  the  lowest  quotations." 

"  I  do  n't  doubt  it  a  bit,"  said  the  citizen  ;  "  I  have  seen  such  advices  my- 
self" 

"  To  discard  what  only  excites  jocularity,"  said  the  physician,  "I  have 
professionally  witnessed  the  pernicious,  and,  I  may  add,  fatal  effects  of  this 
reprehensible  fanaticism.  I  have  known  patients,  in  the  very  crisis  of  their 
disorder,  terrified  into  deliriums  by  the  intrusion  of  this  very  Uriah  at  their 
bedsides,  with  his  ranting  exhortations  and  blasphemous  denunciations.  I 
have  known  the  agonized  feelings  of  the  survivors  shocked  and  outraged  by 
his  uncharitable  and  indecent  application  of  scriptural  texts  to  the  charactei 
of  the  defunct;  nay,  I  have  seen  the  very  clergyman  at  the  grave  insulted 
and  interrupted  in  the  performarice  of  his  melancholy  duties,  by  the  attempts 
of  Uriah  to,  what  he  calls,  improve  the  occasion  by  an  extempore  discoursso 
of  his  own  I" 

"  He  deserves  ducking  in  a  horse-pond,"  exclaimed  Twigg,  naturally 
adding  his  own  terrors  to  the  account.  "  They  're  the  pests  of  society.  Look 
at  my  own  case.  It 's  very  hard.  Dr.  Bellamy,  that  a  man  of  my  property 
cannot  enjoy  a  rural  walk  on  foot,  but  he  must  be  beset  by  crazy  gips)^- 
women  or  ranting  Methodist  parsons  !  If  I  get  off  this  time  with  a  fever,  I 
shall  reckon  it  cheap,  for  my  nerves  were  never  so  shook  in  my  hfe.  It 's 
like  a  palsy  ;  but,  says  you,  it 's  your  own  fault ;  a  man  that  has  just  set  up 
his  carriage  has  no  need  to  walk  at  all  [" 

They  now  arrived  at  the  Hive,  where,  in  spite  of  Twigg's  remonstrances, 
he  was  immediately  sent  to  bed  by  the  desire  of  the  Doctor,  who  besides 
taking  away  a  liberal  allowance  of  blood,  subjected  his  patient  to  such  a 
rigorous  low  regimen,  that  before  three  days  were  over,  the  citizen  quite  gave 
np  any  idea  of  ever  dying  by  a  violent  death. 


TTJ^WEy   HALL  105 


CHAPTER  XXTI. 

'  In  every  act  tliey  see  that  lurking  foe, 
Let  loose  a  while  about  the  world  to  iro  ; 
A  ilragon  flying  round  the  earth,  to  kill 
The  heavenly  hope,  and  prompt  the  carnal  will: 
Whom  sainted  knights  attack,  in  sinners'  cause. 
And  force  the  wounded  victim  from  his  paws  !" 


Crabbe. 


'Violent  outcries,  howling,  gnashing  of  teeth,  frightful  convulsions;  frenzy,  epilej)' 
tjc  and  ijpjj.Iectic  symptoms  were  excited,  in  turn,  on  different  individuals.  Cries  were 
heard,  as  of  people  being  put  to  the  sword ;  and  the  ravini^s  of  despair,  which  seemed 
to  arise  from  an  actual  foretaste  of  torment,  were  strongly  blended  with  rapturous  shouts 
of  glory  !  —  glory!  " 

Southey's  Life  of  Wesley. 

"  Ay,  do  despise  me,  I  'm  the  prouder  for  it !     I  likes  to  be  despised  !"" 

Mawworm. 

The  formidable  personage  introduced  in  the  last  chapter,  under  the  name 
of  Uriah  Bundy,  was  one  of  a  provincial  class  of  Methodists,  who,  if  they 
had  not  adopted  the  name,  eminently  deserved  the  title  of  ranters,  not 
merely  for  the  bombastic  fustian  which  they  uttered,  or  rather  howled,  but 
for  the  violent  gesticulations  and  antics  the  body  performed  by  way  of  ac- 
companiment. In  these  accomf  lishments  the  general  dealer  in  question  was 
eminently  gifted,  and  like  certam  persons  who  keep  private  presses,  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  themselves  in  print,  so  Uriah  founded  a  private  chapel, 
partly  that  he  might  enjoy  the  gratification  of  lifting  up  his  own  voice  in  a 
pulpit;  for  whenever,  to  use  a  shop-term,  he  was  out  of  ministers,  he  inva- 
riably supplied  the  deficiency  in  his  own  person.  Indeed  it  was  shrewdly 
suspected,  as  the  cushion-thumpers  became  more  frequently  absent  and  fot 
longer  intervals,  and  as  his  sermons  increased  in  length  and  unction,  that 
Uriah  contemplated  a  gradual  retirement  from  business,  and  ultimate  devo- 
tion of  himself  to  what  he  called  his  vineyard.  This  event  was  looked  for- 
ward to  with  considerable  gratification  by  those  who  sat  under  him,  amongst 
whom  he  had  acquired  the  reputation  of  being  a  powerful  instrument,  a 
phrase  particularly  happy,  in  rf  ference  to  his  physical  abilities,  for  with  the 
voice  of  a  Stentor,  he  had  the  strength  of  a  Milo,  and  when  he  bellowed,  in 
the  slang  of  his  conventicle,  about  wrestling  with  the  Evil  One,  he  displayed 
a  pair  of  long  brawny  arms,  and  a  broad  chest,  such  as  would  have  delighted 
that  enthusiast  in  back-locks,  in-locks,  hanging-trippets,  and  Cornish  hugs, 
Sir  Thomas  Parkyns,  Baronet,  of  Bunny  Park.  Indeed  it  was  said  by  some 
of  the  elders  of  the  village,  that  Uriah,  when  a  young  man,  had  been  a  no- 
torious wrestler  and  cudgel-player,  although  as  P.  P.,  the  clerk  of  the  pa- 
rish, says  in  his  autobiography,  "  he  had  now  laid  aside  the  carnal  delights 
and  powdered  vanities  of  his  youth,  considering  himself,  as  it  were,  a  shred 
of  the  linen  vestment  of  Aaron." 

In  the  opinion  of  his  followers  his  ministry  was  blessed  with  abundant 
fruits,  that  is  to  say  the  walls  of  his  conventicle  sometimes  rang  ag-ani  with 
the  shrieks  and  groans  and  yells,  and  the  whole  building  shook  and  rattled 
vtrith  the  frantic  stamping  and  jumping.  The  old  men  went  crazy,  the  old 
women  into  fits,  and  ihe  young  men  and  maidens  kissed  one  anothf  r,  arid 
ranted,  and  canted,  and  anlickcd  their  caps  otJ' their  heads,  and  the  clothes 
o^  their  Lacks.  —  The  same  frenzy  pursued  iliem  to  tlnMr  honu-s  and 
hearths.  Now  and  then  a  fanatic  mother  hairgled  her  little  boy's  throat 
instead  of  cutlini'  his  bread  and  butter,  or  strangled  her  little  girl  instead 
6—8 


106  TYLNEY    HALL. 

of  tying  her  pinafore .  but  the  devil  got  all  the  blame  of  the  deed,  and  the 
fame  of  Uriah  increased. 

To  some  ears,  hovvever,  there  was  something  inexpressibly  shocking  in 
passing  the  ehapol-door,  and  hearing  the  innocent  voices  of  childhood  chant- 
ing an  infernal  chorus,  literally  extracted  from  a  hymn  book  :  — 

"  I  am,  I  am  out  of  Hell !" 

And  to  some  eyes  on  a  week  day,  when  the  chapel  was  converted  to  a 
school-room,  it  was  no  less  repulsive  to  see  the  same  children,  with  horror- 
stricken  faces,  and  abject  souls,  trembling  and  shivering  at  the  very  name 
of  God  ;  their  young  hopeless  hearts  withering  the  while  under  the  harrow- 
ing denunciations  of  a  frantic  bellowing  monster,  with  a  face  like  an  Ogre, 
by  way  of  illustrating  the  divine  invitation  of  "  suffer  little  children  to  come 
to  me !"  But  to  sweep  off  prematurely  all  the  bright  beautiful  bloom  ot 
cliildhood  ;  to  blot  out  the  serene  blue  heaven  of  its  thoughts  with  the  foul 
sulphurous  smoke  of  the  infernal  pit  —  to  scorch  up  what  Shakspeare  calla 
the  dew  of  youth  with  the  heat  of  nameless  fires  —  to  trail  over  all  nature 
the  slime  of  original  sin,  and  the  blight  of  the  universal  curse  —  to  involve 
Hope  and  Joy,  like  the  sons  of  Laocoon,  in  the  endless  folds  of  the  old 
Serpent  —  to  exhibit  this  wondrous  fair  creation  hovered  over,  not  by  an 
emblematic  dove,  but  a  ravening  vulture  —  to  invest  the  Deity  himself  iden 
tically  with  the  fiendish  attributes  of  Satan  —  yes,  even  this  horrible  and 
blasphemous  transfiguration  passes  with  some  depraved  minds  for  piety, 
and  an  act  of  service  to  religion ;  as  if  from  such  a  faith  to  infidelity  would 
not  be  an  alluring  and  natural  transition. 

The  spiritual  calling  of  Uriah  was  of  no  slight  advantage  to  his  worldly 
interest ;  his  customers  never  thought  of  weighing  tea  or  soap  after  such  a 
pattern  of  sanctity ;  they  were  gravel-blind  to  the  sand  in  the  moist  sugar, 
and  digested  the  pebbles  in  his  currants  like  so  many  ostriches.  In  pro- 
moting the  consumption  of  one  article  indeed,  his  preaching  had  a  direct 
effect ;  for  Uriah  dealt  in  candles,  and  so  effectually  had  he  stuffed  the  im- 
aginations of  his  juvenile  hearers  with  devils  and  pitchforks,  and  cauldrons 
of  boiling  brimstone,  that  half  the  poor  children  of  the  parish  would  not 
sleep  without  a  rushlight  in  the  room.  It  may  be  doubted,  therefore,  whe- 
ther he  would  have  attacked  the  proprietor  of  the  Hive  quite  so  offensively, 
if  he  had  not  happened  to  receive  a  consignment  of  goods  by  the  same 
wagon  which  carried  Twigg's  hardware  to  HoUington,  a  circumstance  from 
which  the  shop-keeper  inferred  that  the  family  was  generally  to  be  supplied 
from  London,  instead  of  patronizing  his  own  emporium.  A  man's  private 
affairs  are  generally  considered  sacred  from  intrusion,  and  his  religion  is,  or 
ought  to  be,  held  the  most  sacred  of  his  private  affairs ;  but  our  ranter  felt 
no  delicacy  or  diffidence  in  accosting  a  perfect  stranger,  and  prying  into 
the  concerns  of  his  soul.  Modesty  is  no  characteristic  of  tlie  fraternity,  and, 
to  use  Uriah's  own  words,  whenever  he  took  the  work  in  hand,  he  rubbed  his 
face  over  with  a  brass  candlestick.  The  sequel  has  been  told.  Twigg 
took  to  his  heels  ;  and  the  preacher,  with  a  triumphant  flourish  of  his  stick, 
resumed  his  course,  exulting  that  he  had  made  a  sinner  shake  in  his  shoes  ; 
and  moreover  a  sinner  that  indulged  in  the  vanities  of  blue  and  orange 
liveries,  a  stately  coach  and  a  heathen  behind,  as^  black  as  Beelzebub 
himself. 

In  his  next  hearer  the  ranter  was  not  so  fortunate.  He  had  gone  swing- 
ing, and  striding,  and  muttering  about  a  hundred  yards  down  the  road  when 
ne  perceived  the  brown  woman  approaching,  or,  as  she  was  popularly  called 
the  Glueen  of  the  Gipsies :  a  tribe  especially  marked  out  for  conversion  by 
'.ne  ranter,  who  immediately  "straddled  across  the  path,"  hke  ApoUyon  in 


TYT.J^EY   HALL*  1(j7 

tho  Pili^rim's  Pro::;rGss,  and  prepared  himself  for  the  fight.     He  accosted 
]ier  in  the  same  style  that  ho  had  used  to  Twiijg. 

"-Stay  woman  !  I  have  a  message  unto  you  !  I  come  with  glad  tidings." 

"Say  on  then,"  said  the  woman,  "such  tidings  have  long  been  strange 
to  these  ears." 

"  You  're  a  cursed  race,"  shouted  the  ranter,  as  usual  beating  time  with 
his  stick. ;  "there's  a  place  prepared  for  you,  in  the  bottomless  pit,  along 
with  the  Devil  and  his  an^^els  —  Yes,  you,  and  your  father,  and  the  mother 
as  bore  ye,  and  your  brothers,  and  your  sisters,  and  the  babes  at  the  bosom, 
all,  every  man  jack  of  you,  as  sure  as  you  dwell  in  tents  !  You  'U  be  all 
biled  and  fried  in  hot  pitch  and  burning  brimstone,  the  whole  tribe  of  you, 
tents,  donkeys,  and  all.'' 

'•  Foo! !"  said  the  woman,  with  a  look  and  gesture  of  ineffable  scorn, 
*'  stau'l  a^ide  and  let  me  pass  !" 

"  No'  till  I  've  convarted  ye,"  said  the  ranter,  frustrating  her  attempt  to 
go  by.  "Not  till  I've  stirred  up  your  conscience  like  stirring  up  marrow 
with  a  spoon ;  and  made  you  howl  over  your  sins  like  a  flogged  hound. 
You  're  a  stray  sheep,  and  I  'm  the  shepherd's  dog  as  you  're  to  be  driv'  by 
into  the  fold." 

"  Bark  on  then,"  said  the  woman,  quietly  seating  herself  on  the  bank  by 
the  roadside,  with  something  of  her  usual  waywardness,  for  at  other  seasons 
such  an  interruption  would  have  roused  her  into  fury.  Possibly  she  had 
time  on  her  hands,  and  was  willing  to  be  amused  by  his  wild  absurdities ; 
perhaps  she  was  inclined  to  vent  a  splenetic  humour  in  wordy  controversy 
with  a  being  as  strange  and  violent  as  herself;  however  she  sat  down,  and 
the  ranter  took  a  seat  by  her  side  ;  but  not  till  he  had  cut  a  preliminary 
caper,  shouting  "  Glory  !  glory  !"  and  promising,  with  an  appropriate  whirl 
of  his  weapon,  to  smite  the  wicked  heathen  back  and  belly,  hip  and  thigh. 
The  woman  however  interrupted  the  very  first  sentence  of  his  sermon, 
speaking  to  him  with  the  tone  and  manner  that  she  would  have  used  to  a 
slave  in  St.  Christopher's. 

"  Take  your  eyes  off  me.     Let  go  my  hand,  —  and  sit  farther  apart !" 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  ranter,  "  you  would  n't  care  if  you  and  all  goodness 
and  holiness  was  miles  and  miles  asunder  !  but  I  '11  so  duck  you,  and  bob 
you,  neck  and  crop,  and  dip  and  wallop  you  in  the  Red  Sea,  that  afore  we 
parts,  you  shall  be  as  glad  to  hug  me,  and  cling  to  me,  as  drowndin'  kitten 
to  a  pail." 

"Fool!  idiot!"  exclaimed  the  woman.  " Is  this  vulgar  jargon  to  give 
your  faith  a  victory  over  mine  ?" 

"  I  speaks  as  I  am  bid  to,"  said  the  ranter.  "  It 's  the  gift  of  tongues  -, 
and  I  won't  go  for  to  pick  my  words,  no,  not  if  you  was  the  Gtueen  of 
Sheba,  and  stuck  all  over  with  peacocks'  tails.  I've  tackled  worse  sinners 
then  you  —  ten  times  worser  and  wickeder  —  tough  old  grayheaded  sinners 
possessed  with  devils  ;  but  I  've  drawed  'em  out,  tooth  and  nail,  as  you  'd 
draw  a  badger.  And  I  've  grappled  with  young  sinners  too,  tender  women, 
and  maidens,  and  I  've  took  them  by  the  arms,  and  by  the  shoulders,  and 
by  the  neck,  and  by  the  waist,  and  shook  out  their  devils  as  you  'd  shake 
the  gravpi  out  of  your  shoe  !" 

"  Hands  off,  villain !"  exclaimed  the  woman,  suddenly  starting  to  her 
feet.     "  Dare  to  touch  me,  and  you  shall  find  I  have  a  devil  in  me  too  !" 

"  That 's  him  !"  shoutea  the  ranter,  also  rising  up  ;  "  that 's  the  devil  as 
spoke  ;  I  knowed  his  voice.  Manv  a  tight  tussle  I  've  had  with  old  Cock- 
ahoop!  Ay,  many  a  stiff  round  on  it ;  but  thanks  to  grace,  I  always  broke 
slap-dash  through  his  fjuard.  And  then  I  so  tongue-banged  him,  a  slap 
here,  and  a  slash  there"  —  here  he  went  through  a  bout  of  single-stick  — 
"that  he  had  n*t  a  sound  spot  on  his  black  carcass  as  big  as  a  tester  ;  no, 
not  from  the  top  of  bis  horns  to  the  tip  of  his  tail !     But  I  am  called  to  the 


^08  XrLNEY   HALL. 

work  ;  and  as  I  wrastled  with  him,  so  will  I  wrastlc  with  you,  thou  Jezebel, 
thou  painted  sepulchre,  thou  wicked  pagan  heathen !" 

"  Wretch !"  exclaimed  the  woman,  while  a  red  spot  rose  on  her  forehead, 
and  a  wild  and  dangerous  light  flashed  from  her  dark  eyes,  "were  it  now 
as  it  has  been,  for  the  least  of  those  infamous  names  thy  vile  flesh  should 
be  cut  quivering  from  thy  bones  with  the  cart-whip  ;  and  the  musquito  and 
the  maggot  should  be  the  sole  dressers  of  thy  wounds !  Stand  ofl;  I  say ! 
one  pace  nearer,  and  thy  blood  be  on  thine  head.  I  warn  thee,  let  me  pass 
untouched." 

"Not  without  the  embrace  of  charity,"  bellowed  the  ranter,  with  a 
wild  flourish  of  his  arms  and  hideous  contortions  of  his  countenance  ;  "Not 
without  the  kiss  of  peace  and  good  will ;"  and  he  sprang  towards  her. 
His  arms  were  flung  round  her  neck,  his  face  pressed  closely  against  hers  ; 
she  was  sinking  under  his  weight,  when  suddenly  the  sharp-pointed  knife, 
described  by  Squire  Ned,  entered  the  ruffian's  side.     He  yelled  fearfully 

—  aimed  an  xneflTectual  blow  —  staggered  a  few  paces  oflf —  howled  a  curse 

—  rolled  his  eyes  horribly,  —  and  fell  backward  in  the  dust  I 

The  wound,  though  severe,  was  not  mortal.  After  lying  insensible  for 
some  time,  he  revived ;  his  ears  ringing  with  the  confused  sound  of  human 
voices,  amidst  which  he  gradually  distinguished  repeated  cries  of  "  Here ! 
Tigress  !  Fury  !  Vengeance  !  Vengeance  !  Vengeance  !"  With  some 
difficulty  he  raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and  as  the  mist  cleared  away  from 
his  eyes,  he  perceived  Dick  the  huntsman  trotting  up  the  lane,  followed 
by  two  whippers-in,  and  the  Baronet's  pack  of  fox  hounds,  which  had  been 
taken  out  for  an  airing. 

"Zounds,  Bob!"  exclaimed  the  huntsman,  as  he  pulled  up  at  the 
wounded  man,  "here  has  been  agame  atsharps  !"  he  immediately  alighted, 
and  Bob  did  the  same,  resigning  their  horses  to  the  second  whip,  who  stood 
aloof  with  the  dogs. 

"  Odd  zookera !"  cried  Bob,  as  he  assisted  in  removing  Uriah  to  the  side 
of  the  road,  and  placing  him  in  a  sitting  posture  with  his  back  against  the 
bank,  "  it  be  th'  ould  rantipole  parson  himself!  I  tould  un  his  being  so 
hard-mouthed  to  folk  would  some  day  get  un  a  sorting  !" 

"Hold  hard.  Bob,"  said  the  huntsman;  "it 's  not  the  time  to  open  on 
liim.  Uriah,  how  goes  it  —  how  d'  ye  feel  ?  Come  !  Hold  up  man,  hold  up  ! 
you'll  have  another  chance  for  it;  you  har  n't  booked  a  place  yet  in  the 
dust-cart!"  But  Uriah  made  no  answer.  He  doggedly  clenched  his  teeth, 
and  fixed  his  look  on  the  opposite  hedge ;  pressing  his  own  hands  to  his 
side,  and  resolutely  resisting  every  attempt  that  was  made  to  examine  his 
wound. 

"  Let  un  alone,  if  he's  so  sulky,  let  him  bide,"  said  Bob,  who  owed  the 
ranter  an  old  grudge.  "  I  'm  bound  he  have  only  got  his  desarts.  He  giv 
plenty  o'  tongue  about  my  backsliding;  but  he  do's  the  like  himself,  and 
bacivslides  all  the  year  round.  Them  saints  can  always  find  ice  to  do  it  on, 
winter  or  summer !" 

"Tie  that  up,  Bob,"  said  the  good-natured  huntsman,  "and  do  n't  stand 
jawingr  at .' Jm  wiien  he  's  bleeding.  Speak  up,  old  cock :  you  won't  give  it 
in,  will  ye  ?  I  know  ye  're  game,  and  you  '11  soon  get  second-wind.  Old 
Nick  shan't  crow  over  ye  this  turn.  You  shall  give  it  him,  beak  and  spur, 
for  many  a  long  day  to  come,  and  cut  his  comb  for  him,  till  he  staggers, 
blind  and  groggy,  about  the  pit,  like  a  raw-head  and  bloody-bones!" 

But  even  this  appeal,  although  so  admirably  adapted  to  the  character  and 
calliuij  of  the  ranter,  could  not  extort  a  single  syllable  from  the  iron  jaws 
ofUri;ih,  who,  like  Cassio,  was  sufiering  at  once  under  the  smart  of  a  body- 
wound,  and  the  pang  of  an  anticipated  gasli  in  his  reputation.  He  wacs, 
thereibre,  not  very  sohcitous  that  the  fleshy  hurt  should  be  probed  or  pried 
into,  lest  it  should  lead  lo  the  detection  of  the  other  sore  ,  and  urudcnlly 


TYLNEY  HALL.  '  109 

deferring  speech,  he  applied  the  whole  force  of  his  niind  to  consider  the 
best  mode  of  warding  off  the  questions  and  conjectures  which  his  condition 
would  be  certain  to  excite.  At  first  he  thought  of  giving  out,  that  Apol- 
lyon,  weary  of  defeat  in  so  many  spiritual  contests,  had  assaulted  him  in 
physical  encounter ;  but  as  such  a  battle  would  only  have  obtained  cre- 
dence from  his  own  followers,  by  whom  he  was  already  invested  with  the 
sanctity,  and,  as  some  old  women  affirmed,  the  visible  halo  of  the  old  apos- 
tles, he  resolved  on  framing  some  story  which  should  throw  the  odium  of 
the  sanguinary  deed  on  the  infidel  and  the  heathen,  in  which  terms  he  in- 
cluded all  those  who  did  not  take  tickets  or  shares  in  his  spiritual  little-go, 
called  Sion  Chapel. 

He  had  just  made  up  his  mind  to  this  course,  when,  to  his  great  delight,  he 
hailed  the  appearance  of  his  own  tilt  cart,  which  was  used  for  the  convey- 
ance of  soap,  candles,  saucepans,  and  other  heterogeneous  articles,  to  the 
houses  of  his  customers  ;  besides  occasionally  acting  as  a  family  carriage, 
when  Uriah,  his  wife,  and  offspring,  wished  to  attend  a  love-feast  at  some  dis- 
tant tabernacle,  or  the  quarterly  conference  of  the  sect.  It  was  driven  by  a 
slim,  pale,  tall  pole  of  an  apprentice,  with  an  abundance  of  top  and  lop,  as  the 
foresters  say,  who  had  answered  Uriah's  advertisement  for  a  serious  youth, 
who  could  bear  confinement  six  days  in  the  week,  with  an  express  stipula- 
tion that  he  should  attend  chapel  on  the  seventh  ;  for,  like  our  modern  zea- 
lots and  legislators,  the  ranter  Avas  not  content  that  the  Deity  should  receive 
his  dues  voluntarily,  but  he  insisted  that  the  divine  revenue  of  homage  and 
worship  should  pass  through  human  hands,  and  be  liable  to  a  spiritual  or 
worldly  per  centage,  for  its  enforcement  and  collection,  by  self-constituted 
bailiffs  and  interested  agents. 

"  Oh  the  holy  ["exclaimed  the  driver  of  the  tilt  cart,  as  he  saw  his  master 
and  pastor  bleeding  by  the  road-side  ;  "  here  's  a  sight !  the  scoffer  has 
turned  a  sticker  and  stabber;  and  the  Evil  One  rejoiceth  in  the  blood  of  the 
saints  !  Never  mind,  master,  you  're  a  blessed  martyr  ;  never  mind  ;  bleed 
away,  it 's  all  for  glory  !  There  '11  be"  miracles  done  with  your  skull,  and 
wonders  with  your  shin-bones!" 

"Hold  your  tongue,  you  Balaam's  ass  !  and  bring  the  car(  nearer,"  said 
Uriah,  speaking  at  last,  like  Roger  Bacon's  brazen  head  ;  "  I  did  n't  bind 
you  to  me  to  preach  and  pray,  but  for  to  mind  shop  and  drive  the  horse." 

So  saying,  he  uplifted  his  burly  body,  and,  rejecting  the  assistance  of 
Dick  and  Bob,  began  to  stagger  towards  the  tilt  cart ;  but  the  serious  ap- 
prentice hastily  whipped  on  the  horse  some  half-dozen  paces,  and  began  to 
explain  to  his  master. 

"  The  Lord  forbid  !  I  would  n't  have  you  get  into  it  for  the  world.  It  's* 
chuck  full  o'  goods,  particularly  hardware  ;  and  I  would  n't  have  your  pre- 
cious wounds  fester'd  and  aggravated  by  cankerous  brass  candlesticks,  and 
spouts  of  copper  kettles  ;  there  a'  n't  so  many  saints  upon  earth  as  one 
can  be  spared.    I  '11  go  and  unload,  and  be  back  in  the  singing  of  a  hymn." 

"Stick  as  you  be !"  bellowed  the  ranter,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  hang- 
ing at  the  back  of  the  cart,  where  he  had  no  sooner  introduced  his  head  un- 
der the  tilt,  than  a  female  face  bolted  out  at  the  front,  enveloped  in  a  huge 
straw  hat,  decorated  with  what  a  gardener  would  call  a  "  remarkable  fine 
blow"  of  ribands.  A  body  followed,  clad  in  pink  muslin,  with  abundant 
flounces,  and  white  cotton  stockings,  bound  round  the  ankles  with  the  yel- 
low strings  belonging  to  a  pair  of  tarnished  satin  sandals.  The  yonng  lady 
was  handed  from  the  shaft  with  more  haste  than  gallantry,  by  the  abashed 
Jedediah,  who  jumped  down  after  her,  and,  like  a  tethered  lamb,  stood  as 
di?tant  as  a  ^rasp  of  the  long  reins  would  allow  him,  to  receive  the  rebuke 
of  his  principal. 

"  A  Jezebel,  a  Jezebel !"  roared  the  voice  of  Uriah,  from  the  interior  oi 

8* 


110  TYLNEY    HALL. 

the  cart,  whilst  the  girl  scudded  off  like  a  hare,  provoking  a  merry  so-lio 
from  all  the  huntsmen. 

"Truly,"  cried  Jedediah,  "the  Wicked  One  has  abused  my  senses. 
She  seemed  as  modest  a  damsel  as  ever  begi^ed  a  lift,  being  bound  to  see 
a  sick  mother,  and  her  feet  blistered  with  long  travel." 

"Drive  on  I"  growled  the  voice  of  the  ranter  ;  "drive  home  !"  But  the 
huntsmen  interposed,  and  spoke  in  at  the  front  of  the  cart.  "  Zounds, 
Uriah,  put  us  on  the  scent  a  bit.  Tell  us  how  you  got  your  hurt.  Who 
did  It?"  '       "^      ^ 

"A  man  —  a  man,"  answered  Uriah,  impatiently,  his  voice  now  getting 
weaker. 

"Well,  but  tell  us  his  markings,  boy,"  said  Dick,  "  and  I  '11  take  him  it 
he's  within  twenty  mile,  at  kennel,  or  on  the  pad." 

"  Short  —  and  stout  made,"  said  the  ranter,  hatching  a  lie  circumstantial, 
"  with  a  hard  face  —  and  a  wicked  eye  —  red  hair —  bandy  legs." 

"  That  will  do,"  cried  Dick.  "  Jump  up,  youngster,  and  drive  him  home 
steadily  ;  and  keep  your  sheep's  eye  to  the  road  you  're  going!" 

"  And  do  n't  'ee  fall  a  courting  th'  ould  parson  by  mistake,"  added  Bob, 
from  his  saddle,  "  but  gie  thy  sweetheart  a  smacking  buss,  like  this  here" 
—  and  he  cracked  his  whip  —  "  and  tell  her  Bob  sent  it,  with  my  sarvice  to 
her  sick  mother,  and  a  bottle  of  daffydowndiily.  Ware  hounds,  tho' !  — 
Zookers,  Dick !  — how  that  message  do  make  him  goo!  Well,  th'  ould 
roarer  is  taken  off  his  work,  any  how,  for  a  month  or  two." 

"Not  he,"  said  Dick,  remounting,  and  getting  under  way  with  his 
hounds;  "he's  no  such  chicken.  The  blood-letting  will  be  as  good  to 
him  as  spring  ph3'sic  ;  and  he'll  come  out  again  as  sleek  in  his  coat,  and  as 
plump  in  his  carcass,  as  the  Squire's  Suffolk  Punch.  But,  look  yonder, 
Bob,  over  the  gate  !  —  There  's  a  fellow  skulking  along  the  common,  and 
making  for  the  copse  —  see  how  low  he  runs,  and  bobs  behind  the  bushes. 
Forrard,  Jim,  forrard,  and  ride  home  with  the  pack  — and  you.  Bob,  come 
along  with  me !" 

In  an  instant  the  huntsman  bounded  over  the  gate,  followed  by  the  whip, 
and  both  were  galloping  over  the  field  at  their  best  pace,  in  a  straight  line 
towards  the  object  of  pursuit ;  and  not  unmarked  by  the  fugitive,  who  re- 
doubled his  exertions  to  gain  the  wood,  making  desperate  rushes  through 
hedges,  and  extraordinary  jumps  over  ditches,  occasionally  receiving  a  se- 
vere fall.  As  the  horses  had  a  deep,  clayey,  ploughed  field  to  get  over, 
with  a  wide  brook,  before  they  reached  the  common  where  the  fellow  was 
nunning,  he  had  a  tolerable  chance  of  gaining,  the  cover  before  they  could 
come  up ;  and  every  nerve  of  man  and  horse  was  strained  to  the  uttermost. 
At  last  the  pursuers  reached  the  brook,  the  pursued  having  attained  to 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  copse. 

"  Hark  forrard  !"  shouted  Dick,  gallantly  dashing  into  the  water,  the  cry 
and  the  example  being  echoed  by  Bob,  and,  after  floundering  for  a  minute 
or  two,  both  horsemen  contrived  to  scramble  up  the  opposite  bank,  but  the 
delay  in  the  stream  had  .given  an  important  increase  of  distance  to  the 
runner. 

"  We  shall  lose  him,  we  shall,  by  Jove !"  exclaimed  Dick,  ramming  the 
spurs  into  the  flanks  of  his  hunter  ;  he  's  a  bare  fifty  yards  from  the  cover, 
and  full  of  running  !" 

In  fact,  the  man  was  making,  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  for  the  sylvan  sanc- 
tuary, in  whose  tangled  labyrinths  he  might  have  dodged  and  eluded  a  dozen 
huntsmen  :  a  minute's  more  running  would  have  sufficed  to  bring  him  into 
its  shadows,  when  suddenly  he  was  seen  to  fall  headlong,  and  although  he 
rose. again  instantly,  and  attempted  to  proceed,  it  was  only  to  be  dashed 
prostrate  again  with  greater  violence  than  before.  He  was  no  sooner  risen 
a  second  time  to  his  feet,  than  a  hand  was  at  his  collar. 


TFLNEY    HALL.  Ill 

**  A  splitting  burst  you've  given  u.?,"  said  Dick.  "  Little  Tomboy  never 
looked  for  such  a  sweat  this  morning,  when  he  cui'vettcd  out  of  the  yard. 
We're  all  right,  Bob;  it's  the  rascal  we  got  the  slot  of — shortish  and 
stoutish,  and  hair  reddish  —  baddish  face,  a  cock  eye,  and  bandy  pins." 

"  He  have  an  ugly  murdering  phiz  of  his  own,  have  'nt  un  ?"  replied  the 
first  whip.     "  I  say  fellow,  what  hast  thee  got  to  say  for  thyself?" 

"To-day  is  Friday,  isn't  it?"  inquired  the  captive,  without  raising  his 
head,  and  he  was  answered  in  the  affirmative. 

"  You  needn't  grip  me  so  hard,  then,"  said  the  man,  with  a  tone  of  de- 
spondency. "  My  doom  's  doomed.  I  would  n't  run  a  foot  not  if  you  was 
to  give  me  a  mile  for  law.  It 's  more  nor  I  know  how  I  ever  came  to  try  it 
on,  for  I  never  escaped  nothing  yet.  Any  body  else  would  have  run  the 
common  from  end  to  end,  without  catching  his  foot  in  a  wire.  But  that's 
my  luck  !" 

"As  sure  as  ever  I  winded  a  fox,"  exclaimed  Dick;  '*  it's  Unlucky 
Joe  !"  for  in  the  doleful  face  before  him,  scratched  as  it  was,  and  bleeding, 
and  plastered  with  clay,  the  huntsman  had  not  recognised  the  unfortunate 
ex-postilion,  who  was  clad  moreover,  or  rather  disguised,  in  a  tattered 
smock-frock  and  an  old  pair  of  velveteen  trowsers. 

"Odd  zookers  !"  cried  Bob,  "so  it  be!  But,  lord!  how  he  have  trans- 
mogrified !  So  you  cotched  your  foot  in  a  snare,  eh,  Joe  ?  why  there  be  a 
halter  a-making,  man,  to  go  round  thy  neck." 

"  vSo  you  have  taken,  Joe,  to  pad  the  hoof,"  said  the  huntsman,  "  and 
borrow  money  at  long  dates  ?  A  fellow,  as  starvation  poor  and  lean  as  you 
look,  might  do  the  likes  for  a  bit  of  bread,  and  not  desei-ve  to  swing  for  it 
neither ;  but  dang  it,  man,  how  came  you  to  try  your  killing-knife  on  the 
old  Methodist?" 

"  Me  !"  said  Joe,  lifting  up  his  eyes  and  hands  in  astonishment:  but  the 
habitual  despair  o^  the  fatalist  immediately  returned  upon  him,  with  the 
conviction  of  the  futility  of  any  defence.  It's  no  use  my  saying  anything. 
Here  's  another  black  card  turned  up,  and  gallows  is  trumps  !" 

"Why  you  don't  mean  to  confess,  do  you  ?"  said  the  huntsman,  in  some 
surprise  at  a  man's  not  attempting  to  get  up  a  story,  after  he  had  run  so 
stoutly  to  save  his  life. 

"  If  I  don't  confess  myself,"  said  Joe,  "  somebody  will  confess  for  me  ; 
so,  guilty  or  not  guilty,  it's  all  one.  Other  people  proves  alibis  ;  and  if  I 
had'nt  been  here,  I  should  have  been  somewhere  else  :  but  that's  my  old 
chance.  I  know  my  fortune  without  a  gipsy.  As  I  'm  too  poor  to  sleep 
anywhere's  but  in  the  open  air,  I  can't  be  burnt  in  my  bed  ;  and  as  the 
sergeants  won't  list  me,  cause  I  'm  short,  I  shan't  be  shot ;  and  as  the 
press- ofangs  won't  look  at  me,  I  ar'  n't  to  be  drowned  ;  so  hanging  is  likely 
enough,  for  1  know  I  shan't  die  natural." 

"  Xay,  Joe,"  said  the  huntsman,  somewhat  touched  by  the  poor  fellow's 
picture  of  his  destitution,  "  every  body  has  a  chance.  If  you  can,  really, 
hold  up  an  innocent  hand,  and  say  not  guilty,"  — 

"  Nobody  ever  believed  me  yet,"  answered  Joe,  "  and  it 's  too  late  to 
try  now.  My  dice  alwavs  runs  oneway.  Mayhap  after  I'd  danced  my 
dance  upon  nothintr,  and  been  leg-pulled,  and  hung  a  full  hour,  and  st.-nkpd 
all  the  old  women's  wens,  there 'd 'come  a  reprieve  on  a  lame  post-horse; 
for  that 's  my  luck." 

"  Phoo  —  phoo,  man,"  said  the  huntsman,  "that  an't  quite  so  sure  to 
follow  as  a  turnspit  behind  a  hare." 

"  It  has  followed  mc  ever  since  I  was  born,"  said  the  predestinarian,  "and 
that  was  of  a  Friflay.  I  'vc  never  had  a  turn  in  life  —  never  !  Misfortune 
.*i£rhl,s  fiir  with  other  folks ;  but,  as  for  me,  I'm  kicked  abr)ut  arter  I'm 
down.  I'm  hunted  and  haunted  wherever  I  go  —  from  villag*^  to  village, 
and  from  town  to  town,  with  a  curse  sounding  arter  me*,  like  a  kettle  at  a 


112  TYLNEY    HALL. 

dog's  tail.  I  'm  knowed  everywhere  for  being  unlucky  at  whatever  I  put 
hands  to;  and  what  signifies  honesty,  and  soberness,  and  industry,  with 
t'other  cliaracter  tacked  alon»  with  it?  I  can't  get  charity,  'cause  I  look 
able  to  work  ;  and  I  can't  get  work,  'cause  I'm  reckoned  unlucky,  and  I 
may  as  well  be  put  out  of  my  misery  at  once.  I  do  n't  mind  dyini;,  for  I  'm 
sick  of  my  days  ;  and,  if  it  please  God  Almighty  to  chuck  down  a  handful 
of  sudden  deaths,  you  'd  see  me  scrambling  after  one,  aye,  as  hard  as  ever 
a  barefoot  beggar  boy  for  a  copper  out  of  acoach-vvindow." 

Seldom  are  the  utterers  of  such  sentiments  so  sincere  as  Unlucky  Joe 
was,  in  this  depreciation  of  existence:  like  a  long-standing  cup  of  lea,  life 
generally  grows  sweeter  and  sweeter  towards  the  bottom,  and  seems  to  be 
nothing  less  than  syrup  of  sugar  at  the  very  last.  The  desponding,  hopeless 
creed  of  the  fatalist,  however,  was  one  especially  calculated  to  sicken  the 
heart  and  to  sadden  the  soul,  and  to  wean  the  owner  from  a  world  paved 
all  over  with  black  stones.  According  to  an  old  astrological  theorist,  there 
are  stars  which  ray  forth  darkness,  as  well  as  others  that  distribute  light, 
and  under  some  gloomy  star  of  the  former  class,  the  unfortunate  post-boy 
considered  himself  to  have  been  born,  and  that  he  was  doomed  to  walk  in 
its  shade  to  the  end  of  his  days.  He  saw  nothing  before  him  but  a  dreary 
prospect,  done  as  it  were  in  Indian  ink,  where  he  was  to  be  perpetually- 
haunted  by  a  malignant  demon,  thwarting  every  honest  endeavour,  mis- 
directing every  innocent  aim,  perverting  every  good  intention,  aggravating 
every  unwary  accident,  and  converting  even  the  achievement  of  a  given  ob- 
ject into  an  untoward  event.  There  are  many  believers  in  the  same  doc- 
trine, for  almost  every  man's  existence  affords  some  dark  building-plot  for 
the  foundation,  some  period  of  accumulative  inflictions,  swelling  each  after 
the  ether  hke  the  inky  waves,  with  a  storm  in  the  distance. 

"  As  if  calamity  had  just  begun  : 

As  if  the  vanward  clouds  of  evil  days 

Had  spent  their  malice,  and  the  suilen  rear 
Was  with  its  stored  thunder  labouring  up." 

To  pass  from  the  graver  to  the  minor  concerns  of  life,  no  card-player  ex- 
ists, but  must  some  time  have  endured,  and  wondered  at  a  run  of  ill-luck, 
setting  in  with  the  inveterate  steadiness  of  a  monsoon,  and  all  the  consump- 
tive deadliness  of  an  east  wind  ;  as  if  Fortune  were  a  real  divinity,  equally 
jealous  and  inexorable,  and  who,  for  some  neglected  sacrifice,  had  entailed 
this  protracted  and  bitter  expiation  on  her  votary. 

A  slight  sketchof  the  history  of  the  decline  and  fall  of  Unlucky  Joe,  from 
the  era  of  the  death  of  Bedlamite,  will  show  that  his  imputed  evil  genius  had 
not  been  idle  in  the  interim.  He  had  been  discharged  by  five  successive 
post-masters,  for  falls  and  casualties,  which  had  inflicted  cuts,  sprains,  brui- 
ses, and  fractures,  on  his  own  person.  He  had  been  rejected  by  the  officers 
of  the  army,  the  navy,  and  the  parish ;  he  had  been  imprisoned  for  poach- 
ing, because  he  picked  up  a  dead  hare  ;  discharg«J  one  King's  Birthday, 
and  committed  the  next  morning  for  sleeping  in  the  open  air.  He  had  been 
crossed  in  love  by  the  only  girl  he  had  ever  addressed  ;  he  had  been  made  a 
father  by  a  frail  fair  one  he  never  saw  ;  and,  to  conclude,  he  was  in  custody 
for  a  murderous  act  he  had  never  contemplated  ;  pennyless,  friendless,  and 
hopeless.  In  this  abject  state  he  gave  up  striving  with  his  fate,  and  the  su- 
perstition that  had  him  enthralled  in  its  web,  immediately  pounced  upon 
him,  and  wound  around  him  in  a  preliminary  shroud,  even  as  a  spider  serves 
a  devoted  fly,  when  the  insect  has  ceased  its  struggles. 

"  It's  no  use  preaching  hope  to  me,"  he  said  :  "my  sentence  is  booked. 
Yoix're  as  sure  of  the  blood-money  as  if  it  was  down  on  the  nail.  Such  as 
t  is,  my  life's  worth  forty  pounds  to  some  on  ye ;  and  my  body  will  fetch 


TYLNEY    H>LL.  113 

a  trifle,  besides,  from  the  surtreons  ;  so  you  may  as  well  begin  raffling  for 
me  at  once.  You  can't  keep  my  head  above  water.  I'm  overloaded  ;  Hke 
the  man  a-swimming,  tliat  went  down  when  a  blue-bottle  seiiled  on  his  bald 
head.  If  I  was  to  be  hanged  with  a  rotten  tliread  it  would  n't  break,  for  I 
know  my  luck  !" 

"Buddikins,  man  !"  said  the  whipper-in,  "  what  made  ye  take  tlien  to 
leg-bail?  If  people  do  want  to  put  their  necks  out,  his  worship,  Justice 
Rivers,  have  no  objections  to  showing  them  the  right  line." 

"I  don't  know  why  I  run  so,"  answered  Joe ;  "  but  I  see'd  the  hounds 
a-coming,  and  recollected  about  Bedlamite;  and  bolted,  I  do  n't  know  why. 
I'm  sure  it  warn't  for  my  carcass  ;  for,  God  help  me,  it's  as  used  to  hard 
knocks  as  the  gable  end  of  the  Bell,  where  they  played  at  fives.  Mayhap 
I  did  n't  like  to  look  Sir  Mark  in  the  face,  for  they  said  he  fretted  as  much 
over  the  old  gray  as  over  his  own  brother.  But  come,  lead  on  to  the  cage 
—  for  I  know  I  'm  to  be  a  jail-bird  ;  and  the  sooner  my  neck  is  pulled  the 
better,  for  such  a  poor  doomed  hunfortunate  fellow  as  me  !" 

"To  be  sure,"  said  Dick,  "the  killing  poor  Bedlamite  was  a  mortal 
grievous  job ;  and  if  I  had  knowed  who  I  was  chasing,  I  won't  answer  for 
it,  that  I  would  n't  have  galloped  over  you  with  Tomboy,  and  so  let  one 
horse  reveng-e  the  t'  other.  As  for  sticking  the  methodist,  a  judge  and  a  jury 
must  pick  that  out,  for  it 's  beyond  my  skill ;  and  so  you  're  for  Master 
Gregory's  man-trap,  jump  up  behind  me,  and  let 's  be  jogging." 

The  prisoner,  as  desired,  quietly  mounted  behind  the  huntsman  ;  and  no 
primitive  quaker,  with  a  similar  prospect  of  martyrdom,  ever  went  to  the 
House  of  Bondage  more  calmly,  meekly,  and  lamb-like,  than  Unlucky  Joe 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CiJlVD.    In  mine  eye,  she  is  the  sweetest  lady  that  ever  I  looked  on. 
Bbn.    I  can  see  yet  without  spectacles,  and  I  see  no  such  matter. 

Much  Ado  about  Nothiicg. 

"  The  world  is  gone  crazy  and  spins  round  contrary; 
Madge  would  have  Roger,  and  Roger  loves  Mary; 
Peggy  seeks  Peter,  and  Peter  sues  Jenny, 
Sis'sighs  for  Colin,  and  Colin  woos  Winny, 
Polly  "ji'ves  Diggiin,  and  Diggon  hates  Polly, 
Kate  drowns  for  Simon,  and  he  hangs  fir  Dolly ; 
Sing  hey  !  and  sing  ho  !  and  all  love  is  a  f  djy  !" 

The  Greene  Garlande. 

The  interview  with  the  brown  woman  had  a  marked  effect  upon  the 
Creole.  He  became  reserved,  thoughtful,  gloomy,  and  irritable  f  though 
he  subdued  his  temper  before  his  uncle  and  cousins,  and  vented  it  elsewhere ; 
for  he  was  one  of  those  that  are  civil  (o  Richard,  but  rude  to  Dick  ;  com- 
plaisant to  Thomas,  but  snappish  to  Tom  ;  polite  and  obliging  to  his  supe- 
riors or  equals,  but  harsh  and  imperious  to  his  inferiors  and  dependants. 

"  Od,  mem,"  said  Tibbie,  in  answer  to  a  question  from  her  mistress  as  to 
what  she  thought  of  her  nephews,  "  they're  just  the  weal  o'  the  kintra.  Yon 
Ringwood's  a  bonnie  callant,  baith  frank  and  free,  aye  dafbn  and  lauchin, 
wi'  a  civil  word  for  a' body;  and  his  brither's  a  douce,  discreet,  wise-like 
lad,  and  bonny  forbye,  and  bauds  wee!  till  his  beuk ;  but  ou,  mem,  yon  lad 
wi'  the  brown  face  they  ca'  the  St.  Kitts,  is  a  thrawn  body  !  An  auld  tyke 
couldna  be  maircankert!  I  did  but  just  sj)cer  at  him  —  for  ye  sec,  nicm,  I 
was  thinking,  as  he  cam  frac  the  Wast  Indies,  he  wad  ken  aiblins  aboot 
puir  San(?ic,  for  Sandie  's  ganc  to  some  place  wi'  a  B,  Bermudics,  or  Barba 


114  TYLNEY   HALL. 

dies,  or  Ben-coolin,  whilk  nae  doot  is  a  muckle  mountain  like  Ben  Lomond 
or  Ben  iVe\is  —  sae  ye  see,  mem,  I  did  but  just  speer  at  him  a  word  or  twa 
aboot  Sandic,  for  amang  a'  thae  black  creturs,  and  brown  crcturs,  he  'd  ken 
Sandy  brawly  —  " 

"  I  believe,  Tibbie,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  my  nephew,  the  Creole,  is 
rather  sensitive  as  to  any  allusions  either  to  black  or  brown." 

"  Sensiteeve,  mem!"  exclaimed  Tibbie,  "  he  was  just  rampaugin!  I 
canna  mind  the  tae  hauf  o'  the  ill-names  he  ca'd  me  ;  but  he  bade  me  gang, 
my  troth  did  ho,  intil  the  Dub  o'  Darkness." 

The  Scotchwoman,  in  truth,  had  stumbled  upon  the  Creole  in  a  moment 
of  excitement,  when'he  had  just  come  from  a  skirmish  of  words  with  Ring- 
wood  ,•  and  the  argument  had  ended  as  usual,  namely,  with  a  touch  on  the 
*'bit  of  raw." 

Smarting  under  the  taunt,  he  determined  to  break  through  the  brown  wo- 
man's injunction,  by  seeking  her  out,  and  insisting  on  a  disclosure  of  all  that 
she  knew  with  regard  to  his  birth  ;  and  he  had  just  ordered  out  his  horse  for 
the  purpose,  when  he  was  invited,  by  a  message,  to  accompany  the  family 
on  a  visit  to  Hawksley.  He  immediately  complied,  though  relhctantly,  but 
with  a  much  better  grace  than  Ringwood,  who  made  a  dozen  excuses,  which 
were  overruled. 

"Well,"  said  the  latter  to  Raby,  "here's  another  visit  to  Hawksley,  I 
suppose  my  father  is  going  too  in  the  commission,  and  wants  to  learn  the 
justice- work.     How  do  you  go?" 

"In  the  carriage,"  answered  Raby,  "with  my  father  and  my  aunt" 

"And  I  may  ride  with  St.  Kitts,"  said  Ringwood,  "a  pleasant  compa 
nionship,  considering  we  v/ere  at  high  words  an  hour  ago.  I  '11  lay  fifty  to 
one,  you  don't  guess  the  subject  of  our  dispute?'.' 

"  The  beauty  of  the  marriage  service,  maybe,"  said  Raby,  "  or  a  few  words 
in  favour  of  banns  ana  licenses." 

"It  ended  in  something  of  the  sort,"  said  Ringwood,  "  and  so  far  you  're 
right.     But  it  began  about  different  kinds  of  beauty." 

"A  chivalrous  subject  truly,"  said  Raby;  "and  of  course  each  knight 
chose  a  fair  lady  for  his  paragon,  and  maintained  the  pre-eminence  of  her 
beauty  in  the  tilt  of  tongues." 

"  Yes,  a  regular  sef^to  !"  replied  Ringwood,  "  one  stood  up  for  Miss  Ri- 
vers, and  the  other  for  Miss  Twigg." 

"Heavens  and  earth  !"  exclaimed  Raby,  "  what  a  comparison!  And 
was  St.  Kitts  so  absurd  as  actually  to  set  up  as  a  model  that  animated  Dutch 
doll,  with  great  staring  black  eyes,  ruddle"  cheeks,  and  a  redder  mouth,  with 
an  everlasting  wooden  smile,  like  a  ship's  figure-head?" 

"No,"  said  Ringwood,  "  St.  Kitts  did  no  such  thing.  I  chose  to  back  the 
Dutch  doll  myself." 

"  You,  R.ingwood !"  exclaimed  the  brother,  with  unaffected  surprise, 
**  you  set  up  that  ogling,  simpering,  lisping,  piece  of  affectation,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  artless,  natural,  Grace  Rivers  ?    But  you  were  bantering  him."- 

"  I  'm  not  apt  to  banter,"  said  Ringwood,  in  an  offended  tone.  "  When 
1  speak,  it's  always  straightforward  ;  and  my  words  aim  direct  at  my  mean- 
ing, like  bullets  at  a  mark." 

"  So  much  the  worse,"  said  Raby.  "I  'm  sorry  for  it,  for  in  such  a  ques- 
tion St.  Kitts  has  you  at  a  vantage.  The  whole  world  would  give  it  against 
you." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?"  said  Ringwood  ;  "is  the  whole  world  of  one 
taste  ?  Why,  a  dozen  men  can't  agree  about  a  dog !  Ask  the  Squire  which 
is  the  handsomest  hound  of  the  pack,  and  he  will  say  Challenger ;  ask  my 
father  and  he  Mould  name  Hannibal ;  for  my  own  part,  I  should  give  it  ro 
Brusher  ;  while  Dick  swears  by  Grasper,  and  nothing  else."^ 

"True,"  replied  Raby ;  "about  such  shades  and  degrees  of  beauty,  every 


TYLNET   HALL.  115 

man  may  differ  from  liis  neiglibour.  But  when  the  question  is  mooted  be- 
tween a  V^enus  by  Phidia?,  and  a  statue  by  Tablet  the  stonemason  ;  a  Ma- 
donna by  Corre£;oio,  and  a  dueen  Bess  on  a  tavern  sign  ;  a  Dresden-china 
May-queen,  and  a  common  earthenware  shepherdess  —  Oberon's  mate,  and 
Punch's  wife  —  " 

"  Capitally  matched,"  exclaimed  Ringwood,  "and  no  doubt  would  keep 
step  well  in  harness.  I  know  I  'm  not  such  a  quiz  as  you  are ;  but  I  have 
eyes  in  my  head.  I  'm  reckoned  a  fairish  judofe  of  the  points  of  a  horse ; 
and  'fl  can  tell  whether  a  nag  has  a  good  ligure,  I  su]>pose  I  can  s,^e  whe- 
ther a  girl 's  shapely;  at  all  events,  I  can  see  the  difference  between  Miss 
Twigg  and  a  Dutch  ship  with  a  doll's  head,  though  you  have  proved  you 
can't." 

"  I  am  content,"  answered  Raby,  "that  I  can  see  the  difference  between 
Miss  Twigs  and  Miss  Rivers,  which  you  are  equally  unable  to  appreciate." 

"I  know  the  difference  between  them,"  said  Ringwood,  "as  well  as  you 
do;  nboody  said  they  were  alike.  But  what  has  that  to  do  with  one's 
choice,  any  more  than  the  fillies  for  the  Oaks?  One  maybe  a  bay  and  the 
other  a  gray,  and  they  may  both  be  favourites,  and  find  backers  for  all  that." 

"  True,"  said  Raby,  "  and  I  have  heard  that  the  veriest  jade  of  the  race 
gets  golden  opinions  from  some  simpleton  or  other,  who  deems  her  the  pa- 
raxon of  symmetry." 

"And  I  have  heard,"  said  Ringwood  angrily,  "of  perfect  Solomons  for 
learning,  that  talk  about  Phidias  and  Venuses,  being  smit  by  the  first 
bread-and-butter  Miss  from  boarding-school  that  chose  to  set  her  cap  at 
them." 

"  Ringwood,"  said  Raby,  speaking  hastily,  and  reddening,  "  if  you  mean 
to  liken  the  accomplished,  elegant,  and  amiable  Grace  Rivers,  to  any  such 
artificial  coquette,  I  feel  bound  to  say  the  degrading  comparison  does  her 
gross  injustice.  If  in  face  and  figure  you  are  too  blind  to  discover  the 
united  charms  of  a  Rosalind,  an  Imogen,  or  a  Laura,  at  least  in  the  excel- 
lence of  her  mind,  and  the  virtues  of  her  heart,  you  ought,  if  not  lost  to  feel- 
ing, to  sensibility  —  " 

"Aye,  there  you  are  on  your  hind  legs,  in  a  moment;"  interrupted  Ring- 
wood,  "  but  did  I  get  vicious  and  rear  up,  and  lash  out,  when  you  degraded 
Miss  Twigg  into  Mad  Moll,  and  Moll  Flanders,  and  Judy,  and  the  devil 
knows  what  besides  ?  But  hark  ye,  Raby  ;  fair  play 's  a  jewel.  Everybody 
has  a  right  to  their  own  taste.  You  have  yours  and  I  have  mine.  And  I  'fl 
lay  odds  the  young  ladies  differ  in  their  tastes  as  much  as  we  do.  The  co- 
pies of  verses  that  Miss  Rivers  is  so  fond  of  humming  and  strumming,  Miss 
Twigg,  maybe,  would  turn  into  curl-pipers." 

"I  should  never  feel  surorised,"  said  Raby,  sharply,  "at  any  act  of  Van- 
dalism from  Miss  Twigg  ;  if  she  were  even  to  tear  leaves  out  of  Spenser  to 
put  ht-r  hair  in,  and  to  try  the  heat  of  her  tongs  on  the  pages  of  Alilton." 

"  Like  enough,"  retorted  Ringwood.  "  Nor  should  I  die  of  wonder  if  I 
heard  Miss  Rivers  singing  half-penny  ballads,  or  repeating  Little  Bo-peep." 

"  Except,  that  there  is  one  circumstance,"  said  Raby,  "  which  makes  as- 
surance doubly  sure  to  the  contrary." 

"  And  what  is  that,"  inquired  Ringwood  contemptuously,  "which  is  to 
be  such  a  safe  hedge?" 

"That  she  possesses,"  answered  Raby,  "all  the  sense  you  want ;  all  the 
taste  you  are  without ;  —  and  all  the  feelings  for  the  beautiful  that  you  think 
you  have." 

The  colloquial  pepper  had  been  shaken  out  thus  far,  when,  luckily,  before 
the  top  of  the  castor  could  quite  come  off,  the  Baronet  and  Airs.  Hamilton 
appeared  at  the  hall  door,  where  the  carriage  was  in  waiting.  Raby 
instantlj  descended  the  stairs,  and  followed  his  father  and  aunt  into  the 


116  TYLNET   HALL. 

coach  ;  while  Ringwood  mounted  his  horse,  taking  care  to  place  the  vehicle 
between  tlie  Creole  and  himself;  and  in  this  order  they  set  forward. 

None  of  the  parties  spoke  till  the  carriatre  had  gone  about  half  down  the 
avenue,  when  the  Baronet,  after  a  long  look  at  Raby's  flushed  cheek,  which 
made  the  colour  still  deeper,  thus  addressed  him. 

"  Mayhap  you  think,  Raby,  that  I  do  n't  know  what 's  afoot ;  but  an  old 
fox-hunter  like  me  knows  which  way  the  game  goes,  by  signs  other  men 
would  n't  dream  of,  such  as  crows  flying,  and  jays  chattering,  and  sheep 
huddling,  and  so  forth.  I  mean  tosay,  thatRingwood  and  St.  Kitis  have  n*t 
put  the  coach  between  them  for  nothing,  and  there's  a  bit  of  a  flush  iu  your 
iace  that  tells  me  you  know  what  the  bone  was  that  led  to  the  baiking  and 
biting." 

"My  dear  father,"  answered  Raby,  "your  hunting  experience  served 
you  truly :  there  has  indeed  been  a  difference,  but  I  assure  you  it  was  quite 
trivial,  between  Ringwo6d  and  St.  Kilts  :  and  subsequently,  as  you  always 
require  the  whole  truth,  between  Ringwood  and  myself." 

"  Aye  tljcre  it  is,"  said  the  Baronet,  with  a  mournful  tone  and  a  sorrowful 
shake  of  his  head,  "  one  down  and  t'  other  come  on  :  no  two  of  you  can 
agree.  I  wish  to  God  you  'd  be  more  united,  as  the  father  said  in  the  fable, 
when  he  showed  his  sons  the  bundle  of  sticks.  Stand  by  one  another,  and 
you  are  strong;  but  quarrel  and  split,  and  you  are  weak  and  good  for 
nothing.  Look  at  backgammon,  where  two  men  together  are  a  defence 
and  help  to  each  other ;  but  when  they  are  single,  they  are  nothing  but 
blots,  and  lialtle  to  be  taken  up  at  every  throw  of  the  dice,  and  obliged  to 
try  back.  Book  that  for  as  long  as  you  live.  And  now  what  was  the 
wrangle  about!" 

"  A  mere  matter  of  taste,"  replied  Raby;  "  the  relative  claims  of  Miss 
Twigg  and  Miss  Rivers  to  the  palm  of  beauty." 

"  I  should  have  thought,  Raby,"  said  Mrs. Hamilton  smiling,  "that there 
could  be  no  dispute  onlhat  question  ;  but  logic  is  taught  at  Oxford  ;  and  I 
suppose  some  one  of  you  was  ambitious  to  show  his  skill  in  defending  a 
daring  proposition." 

"  If  it  was  only  logic-chopping,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  I  should  n't  mind. 
I  've  no  more  objection  to  a  bout  at  argument  than  to  a  bout  at  single-stick ; 
only  the  players  oughtn't  to  lose  their  tempers.  But  it  might  be  earnest 
after  all.  Miss  Twigg 's  a  smartish  girl,  with  lively  black  eyes,  and  pouting 
lips,  and  so  forth,  and  a  spanking  figure,  with  good  action  to  boot,  and  might 
get  a  stride  or  two  before  Grace  in  the  Creole's  fancy  ;  those  West  Indians 
do  n't  think  as  we  do." 

*'  St.  KifXs  was  Grace's  champion,"  repHed  Raby. 

"The  devil  he  was!"  ejaculated  the  Baronet.  "Why  this  beats  cock- 
fighting'  They  say,  Kate,  there's  no  accountmg  for  tastes,  and  in  fancy 
matters  I  oelieve  like  does  not  always  pair  with  like ;  but  think  of  Raby  here, 
bookish  and  poetical  and  sentimental  and  so  forth,  and  that  always  rides  a 
pony  or  a  galloway,  standing  up  for  a  slapping,  bouncing,  high-couraged 
girl,  that  looks  only  half  brojce,  like  Miss  Twigg." 

"  My  dear  aunt,"  said  Raby,  eagerly,  "  pray  think  of  no  such  incongruity. 
It  was  Ringwood  who  found  a  goddess  at  the  Hive,  and  set  her  on  a  pedes- 
tal above  Grace  and  her  three  namesakes." 

The  speaker  intended  no  wound  ;  but  his  words  pierced  Sir  Mark  with 
the  pang  of  a  gaunch  from  a  wild  boar,  or  a  gore  from  a  stag  at  bay.  His 
first  impulse  was  towards  the  checkstring  and  the  carriage  window,  that 
he  might  call  the  refractory  admirer  to  task  ;  but  the  presence  of  his  sister 
put  him  in  mind  of  her  admonition,  and  he  remained  passive.  In  the  mean 
time  it  gave  him  some  consolation  to  reflect  whither  they  were  going,  and 
on  the  irresistible  attractions  of  his  first  favourite,  whose  portrait  his  imagi- 
nation painted  in  the  most  glowing  colours  ;  and  then  he  amused  liimself 


TYLNEY   HALL.  117 

in  bedaubing  and  distiijunng  the  full-length  he  had  lately  drawn  of  Miss 
Twigo;,  till,  like  the  ideal  lady  in  the  Rivals,  "  she  had  a  hump  on  each 
shoulder,  a  skin  like  a  mummy,  a  beard  like  a  Jew,  was  as  crooked  as  a 
crescent,  and  rolled  her  one  eye  like  the  bull  in  Cox's  museum."  He  then 
mentally  held  up  the  two  pictures  for  comparison,  in  the  very  spirit  of 
Hamlet,  and  wondered  utterly  how  his  son  and  heir  could  hesitate  with 
such  a  choice.  "  It 's  unpossible,  I  know,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  to  put  old 
heads  on  young  shoidders,  but  the  head  of  a  two-year  old  ought  to  know 
which  to  choose.  Why  there  's  young  Twigg  would  jump  at  Grace,  for  i 
saw  him  throwing  the  eyes  of  a  whole  flock  of  sheep  at  her ;  and  so  would 
Raby  or  St.  Kitts ;  but  Ringwood,  though  he  has  father's  consent  ano 
every  thing,  turns  away  from  her,  confound  him,  like  musty  ha\. 

There  is  a  saying,  which  imputes  to  dogs  in  general  a  disposition  i^.  fall 
on  and  bite  one  that  is  bitten ;  and  Sir  Mark  seemed  placed  in  the  very 
situation  of  the  unfortunate  cur.  In  glancino'  occasionally  through  the 
carriage  window  his  eye  had  observed  some  object  that  the  Creole  carried 
bet'ore  hii:n  on  the  saddle,  and  wiiich  he  at  length  made  out  to  be  a  beautiful 
small  spaniel  of  the  Blenheim  breed.  His  curiosity  being  excited,  he  took 
an  opportunity  of  letting  down  the  window  and  asking  St.  Kitts  where  tho 
little  animal  was  croing,  and  he  was  informed  that  it  was  destined  for  a 
present  to  Grace  Rivers.  The  answer  made  Raby  smile ;  but  it  gave  a 
fresh  pang  to  the  Baronet,  and  reflecting  that  Ringwood  carried  no  spaniels 
to  Hawksley,  he  pulled  up  the  window  again,  with  a  suddenness  that 
threatened  to  demolish  the  glass. 

To  Mrs.  Hamilton,  who  had  been  the  depository  of  her  brother's  matri- 
monial schemes,  his  movements  were  no  mystery  ;  but  she  was  restrained 
Dy  the  presence  of  Raby,  and  did  not  venture  on  any  remark.  The  Baronet 
was  not  in  a  humour  for  talking,  and  Raby  was  soon  occupied  in  specula- 
tions of  his  own  ;  so  that  the  three  insides  travelled  on  to  their  destination 
as  mute  as  three  strange  reserved  English  passengers  by  a  mail,  who  have 
never  met  before  and  may  never  meet  again,  and  besides  have  locked  up 
their  tongues  in  their  travelling  bags,  which  are  in  the  hind-boot. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

HoBBiNOL. — Di?£:on  Davie,  I  bid  her  good  day ; 

Or  Diggon  her  is,  or  I  mis-say. 
DiaaoN. — Her  was  her  while  it  was  daylight. 

But  now  lier  is  a  most  wretcheti  wight ; 

For  day  that  was  is  wightly  past. 

And  now  at  last  the  dirlc  night  doth  haste. 

Spenser's  Shepherds  Calenuak. 

"  For  my  part,  I  know  not  whether  is  best,  to  live  thus  or  die  out  of  hand  ;  my  soul 
cliocaeth  strangling  rather  than  life,  and  the  grave  is  more  easy  for  me  than  this  dun 
eeoa 

Christian,  in  the  Castle  of  Despair. 

Her  eyes  are  wild,  her  head  is  bare. 
The  sun  has  burnt  her  coal-black  hair  ; 
Her  eyebrows  have  a  rusty  stain. 
And  she  came  far  from  over  the  main. 

Wordsworth. 

The  representative  of  justice,  as  does  not  always  happen  with  Justice 

herself,  was  at  home  to  those  who  incpaired  for  him.     He  had  just  begun  to 

lunch  in  company  with  Grace;  and  by  way  of  economizing  time,  wag 

listening  to  a  report  of  his  clerk  on  the  Hazel  Bridge  evidence,  when  the 

7—1 


118  JYLNEY    HALL. 

visiters  were  announced  and  introduced.  The  usual  greetings  were  ex 
changed,  but  the  Baronet,  who  kept  a  wary  eye  on  Ringwood,  remarked, 
with  displeasure,  that  he  quitted  Grace  after  a  very  brief  salutation,  and 
was  soon  in  close  conversation  with  the  magistrate's  clerk,  Nick  Ferrers, 
a  noted  cocUer,  who,  in  the  true  spirit  of  the  law,  liked  to  see  two  game 
clients  pitted  against  each  other,  and  shedding  their  blood  and  feathers  for 
any  body's  benefit  but  their  own. 

The  Creole  next  approached  the  young  lady,  and  after  a  few  compliments 
he  introduced  to  her  the  little  spaniel.  *'  He  is,  I  assure  you,  Miss  Rivers, 
one  of  the  true  Blenheim  breed,  for  I  procured  him  myself  of  the  Duke'3 
keeper.  He  is  really  a  pretty  fellow,  and  deserves  to  be  a  lady's  dog,  if  you 
will  honour  me  by  taking  him  into  your  service. 

*'  I  am  really  sorry,"  said  Grace,  blushing,  and  looking  confused.  "  that 
you  should  have  taken  the  trouble,  not  that  1  shall  feel  less  grateful  for  the 
kindness  of  the  intention,  but  Raby  was  so  good  as  to  send  me  one  of  the 
same  breed  from  Oxford,  a  month  ago,  and  the  little  creature  has  become 
attached  to  me,  and  is  a  great  favourite." 

"  It  is  like  my  luck,  as  Unlucky  Joe  would  say,"  replied  the  Creole  with 
a  constrained  smile.  "  It  consoles  me,  however,  to  reflect  that  as  Raby 
and  I  have  jumped  so  in  our  ideas,  we  must  be  reckoned  fellow-wits," 

"  He  is  really  a  beauty,"  exclaimed  Grace,  lifting  up  the  small  curly 
creature,  and  placing  him  in  the  chair  next  her  own,  where  she  patted  and 
fondled  him  ;  but  on  the  approach  of  Raby,  the  beauty  was  suffered  to 
jump  down,  and  the  new-comer  took  possession  of  the  vacant  seat,  while 
the  Creole  turned  away  and  bit  his  lip. 

"Well,  neighbour,"  said  Sir  Mark,  addressing  himself  to  the  Justice, 
"  to  turn  back  to  our  old  topic,  how  goes  on  the  car  of  Juggernaut  —  does 
it  load  well  as  usual  ?" 

*'  It  is  going  at  its  old  rate,"  answered  the  Justice,  "  and  I  may  say,  with 
regard  to  my  own  share  of  its  road,  the  whip  is  seldom  out  of  my  hand. 
The  Hazel  Bridge  business  is  scarcely  disposed  of,  when  another  case  o! 
cutting  and  maiming,  with  intent  to  commit  murder,  demands  my  investi- 
gation. I  really  think  the  public  are  not  aware  that,  to  secure  the  peace 
and  safety  they  sleep  in,  a  magistrate  must  devote  so  much  of  his  time, 
and  sacrifice  so  much  of  his  rest  as  I  do :  but  justice,  which  never  sleeps, 
demands  a  vigilant  minister.  You  have  heard,  I  presume,  from  popular 
rumour,  that  Uriah  Bundy,  the  ranter,  and  proprietor  of  the  emporium, 
was  stopped  and  stabbed,  at  mid-day,  by  a  foot-pad  who  is  now  in  cus- 
tody !" 

"To  be  sure  I  have,"  answered  tlie  Baronet;  "  it  was  my  huntsman 
that  took  him,  and  Dick  told  me  the  whole  particulars.  It's  the  same  fel- 
low that  killed  Bedlamite,  Unlucky  Joe,  as  he  's  called,  and,  as  I  have  a 
score  to  clear  with  him  too,  I  would  take  it  kind  of  your  worship  to  let  me 
be  present  at  his  examination,  that,  if  he  clear  himself  of  one  murder,  I 
may  let  slip  at  him  with  the  other." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  the  magistrate,  secretly  pleased  with  an  op- 
portunity of  having  a  Matthews-like  "  At  Home,"  and  performing  the 
characters  of  Solon,  Draco,  Brutus,  and  Judge  Jeffries,  to  a  select  audience. 
"  The  prisoner,"  he  continued,  "  is  below,  in  charge  of  Gregory,  the  head 
constable,  and  the  prosecutor  is  in  attendance  in  my  study.  If  it  be  agree- 
able, therefore,  we  will  transform  the  drawing-room,  for  once,  into  a  Lit 
(.It  Justice,  and  take  the  evidence.  I  assure  you,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  you  will 
find  it  an  interesting  case,  and  presenting  a  moral  phenomenon  perfectly 
new  to  me  in  all  my  magisterial  experience  ;  I  mean  the  remarkable  indif- 
ference of  the  accused  party,  as  to  penal  consequences,  or  rather,  I  should 
say,  a  kind  of  hankering  to  incur  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law." 

"  Why,  really,  Sir,"  answered  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  I  have  so  much  of  the 


TYLNEY    HALL.  119 

curiosity  of  my  sex.  that  I  should  like  to  see  the  culprit,  and  to  hear  what 
reasons  he  could  assign  for  so  very  extraordinary  a  taste." 

"  And,  for  my  part,"  said  Grace,  "  I  am  curious  to  behold  Unlucky  Joe, 
who  has  been  described  to  me  as  the  mere  foot-ball  of  fortune." 

"  So  be  if,  then,"  said  the  Justice,  "Air.  Ferrers,  go  and  bring  hitlier  our 
tools  of  trade,  and  tell  Gregory  to  produce  his  prisoner  in  court." 

The  clerk  accordingly  fetched  his  writing  materials,  and  installed  himself 
at  the  table  fronting  the  Justice,  who  seated  himself  with  much  dignity  in 
a  large  easy  chair.  In  a  few  minutes  the  constable  introduced  his  charge, 
who  stared  witb  a  vacant  careless  gaze  at  the  company,  but  the  moment 
his  eyes  encountered  the  Baronet,  his  lace  twitched  all  over,  and  muttering 
a  reflection  on  "his  luck,"  he  dropped  his  head,  and  kept  lookins:  down- 
wards, as  if  for  the  bolt  that  was  to  be  drawn  beneath  his  feet.  The  oath 
was  recited  by  the  clerk,  and  Joe  kissed  the  book. 

"  Prisoner,  what  is  your  name?"  asked  the  Justice,  in  a  tone  which  he 
reserved  for  the  chair  and  the  bench. 

"  Joseph  Spiller,"  answered  the  culprit,  "  and  I  wish  I  'd  never  been  born 
to  be  baptized." 

"  How  do  you  get  your  livelihood?"  inquired  the  same  stern  voice. 

"I  was  a  post-boy  aforetimes,"  said  Joe,  "but  now  I'm  nothing,  ann 
nobody  suffers  from  my  misfortunes  but  myself." 

"Now  then,"  said  the  magistrate,  with  a  manner  meant  to  be  particu- 
larly impressive,  "  now  then,  Joseph  Spiller,  —  and  remember  you  are  on 
your  solemn  oath,  —  pray  tax  your  memory,  and  inform  us  how  you  were 
employed  during  the  morning  of  Friday,  the  21st." 

"  Starving,"  was  the  brief  answer,  and  it  thrilled  every  heart  in  the  room, 
except  those  of  the  Justice  and  his  cock-fighting  clerk  ;  even  the  constable 
winked  as  if  something  had  been  blown  into  his  eyes.  The  Justice  noticed 
the  sensation  it  had  caused,  and  turning  round  in  his  chair,  addressed  him- 
self to  the  Baronet. 

"  Sir  Mark,  the  reply  we  have  just  heard  is  one  of  those  artful  touches 
which  even  the  illiterate  know  how  to  introduce  as  skilfully  as  our  best 
orators,  when  they  would  appeal  to  the  tenderness,  or  rather  v/eakness,  of 
human  nature.  It  is  thus  that  they  frequently  excite  a  spurious  sympathy 
in  the  minds  of  their  hearers,  and  particularly  females," — here  he  glanced 
at  Mrs.  Hamilton  and  Grace,  "  which  is  injurious  to  the  due  course  of 
justice,  and  consequently  to  the  interests  of  society.  I  say  this,  merely 
to  put  you  upon  your  guard,  that  you  may  steel  your  I'eelings  as  I  do,  and 
not  unsuspectingly  lay  your  sensibility  open  to  be  lacerated  by  what  my 
experience  enables  me  to  designate  as  mere  coups  de  theatre." 

"And  now,  fellow,"  he  resumed  to  Unlucky  Joe,  "you  stand  here 
charged  with  stabbing  with  a  knife,  or  some  sharp  instrument,  one  Uriah 
Bundy,  with  an  intent  to  kill,  a  capital  felony,  whether  the  murder  wag 
consummated  or  not,  and  punishable  with  hanging.  What  have  you  to 
say  for  yourself?" 

"I  've  no  wish  to  say  any  thing,  not  one  word,"  answered  Joe,  with  the 
serenity  of  a  captive  Indian  warrior  when  brought  to  the  stake.  "  I  was 
born  to  mischances,  and  this  is  one.  My  life  an't  worth  carinor  for  ;  and 
if  you  hang  me,  it 's  only  taking  the  sin  of  it  off  my  own  hands,  for  it's 
been  in  my  thoughts  afore  now.     I  was  cut  down  my  last  birtli-day." 

•'By  Jove,  he  's  in  earnest  though,"  said  Sir  Mark,  in  an  under-tone  to 
the  Justice.  "  If  he  swaggered  and  shook  his  fist  at  death,  and  made 
faces  at  him,  like  a  stage-player,  I  should  know  my  customer  ;  but  he's 
cool  and  quiet  like  a  man  when  hig  mind  's  made  up.  Take  my  word  for 
it,  he  '11  die  game  !" 

"  Dogged,  Sir  Mark,  dogged,"  replied  the  magistrate  in  an  aside.  "A 
sure  sign  of  guilt :   he  knows  it  will  be  brought  home  to  him." 


120  TYLNEY    HALI 

"In  the  name  of  lieavcn,  Joe,"  exclaimed  the  Baronet,  "speak  up! 
Make  a  start  for  your  life  at  any  rate;  you  can  but  be  run  into  at  tne 
end."  But  the  unhicky  one  only  gave  a  rueful  look  at  the  speaker,  ana 
remained  silent. 

"  He  has  got  a  defence  about  him,  Sir  Mark,"  observed  the  clerk,  *'  bu. 
it  do  n't  crow.  They  all  have  a  something  or  other  to  show  fight  with  ; 
but  he  knows  his  cock  is  over- weighted,  and  does  not  care  to  take  it  out  of 
the  bag." 

"  Gregory,  bring  in  Uriah,"  said  the  magistrate,  "and  let  him  be  con- 
fronted with  the  prisoner." 

The  constable  disappeared,  and  in  a  few  minutes  came  back  with  tho 
ranter,  whose  appearance  caused  an  involuntary  start  from  both  ladies,  for 
in  face  and  figure  he  looked  the  character  of  a  murderer  infinitely  better 
than  the  forlorn,  wo-begone,  dispirited  beinof  who  read  the  part.  Hia 
countenance,  indeed,  M'as  more  grim  than  usual :  his  bushy  brow  was  more 
darkly  knit,  his  jaw  more  firmly  set,  and  his  eyes,  with  a  sinister  expression 
of  dislike  and  distrust,  settled  in  turn  upon  each  of  the  company.  He  had 
entered  on  a  course  of  deceit,  in  which  he  fell  compelled  to  persevere  ;  and 
he  had  made  himself  up,  mentally  and  bodily,  not  to  be  betrayed  by  word 
or  look. 

i'  Ferrers,  give  Mr.  Bundy  a  chair,"  said  the  magistrate,  "  and  adminis- 
ter the  oath."  The  form  vi'as  gone  through,  and  the  justice  resumed, 
"Now,  Sir,  take  a  good  look  at  that  fellow,  and  tell  us  whether  you  have 
ever  seen  him  before." 

"It's  possible  as  I  have,  and  maybe  I  have  not,"  replied  the  ranter. 
*  In  his  outward  man  he  looks  like  a  reprobate  that  was  about  the  neigh- 
oourhood  some  years  ago  ;  one  that  hired  himself  for  lucre  to  the  Enemy 
to  ride  post-horses  on  the  Sabbath-day,  and  who  was  rebuked  for  the  same 
by  many  special  judgments,  in  the  way  of  oversets,  and  stumbles,  and 
falls." 

"  The  very  same  —  Joseph  Spiller,  alias  Unlucky  Joe,"  said  the  Justice, 
"your  identification  is  perfectly  correct.  You  recognise  him  then  as  the 
man  who  stopped  you  and  inflicted  the  wound  ?" 

"  It  is  hard  to  say,"  replied  the  ranter,  with  a  look  upwards ;  "  I  always 
walks  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  not  in  the  fear  of  man,  so  that  the  blow 
corned  afore  I  was  awares." 

"  Your  worship,"  said  the  clerk,  "  the  huntsman  swears  in  his  deposi- 
tion that  the  said  Uriah  Bundy  described  the  assailant  as  shortish  and 
stoutish,  and  reddish  hair,  with  a  squint,  and  bandy  legs  ;  a  description 
which  in  all  its  particulars  tallies  so  exactly  with  the  person  of  the  prisoner, 
that  coupled  with  the  narrative  of  his  flioht  and  capture  from  the  same  do- 
cument, it  forms  strong  presumptive  evidence  of  his  guilt." 

"I  am  of  the  same  opinion,  Ferrers,"  said  the  magistrate,  "and  should 
not  hesitate  to  commit  him  at  once  for  trial ;  but  a  few  questions  further 
may  possibly  afford  stronger  proof,  by  establishing  the  animus.  I  presume, 
Mr.  Bundy,  you  are  not  aware  of  any  ill  blood  between  you  which  might 
prompt  the  accused  to  attack  your  life?" 

"The  Lord  knows,"  answered  Uriah,  "  it  is  not  in  my  powers  to  search 
rnan  through  his  heart  and  reins.  To  be  sure  I  've  been  persecuted  like  the 
rest  of  the  blessed  saints  because  I  scarify  people  with  pilch  and  brimstone 
It 's  the  ways  of  the  infidels  to  return  evil  for  good." 

"You  conceive,  then,"  said  the  Justice,  "that  the  prisoner  put  you  in 
bodilv  peril  in  revenge  of  your  attempts  for  his  spiritual  welfare?" 

"  The  lofty  have  heard  my  voice  on  the  mountain  tops,"  said  Uriah,  "  and 
so  have  the  lowly  down  in  the  valleys.  I  do  n't  go  about  preaching  on  stilts 
with  pudding  sleeves  and  a  curricle  hat ;  even  this  poor  sinful  worm  have  1 
stooped  down  to.    Yes,"  he  added,  shaking  his  fist  at  poor  Joe,  "  many  'a 


TYLNEY   HALL.  12l 

tke  good  track  you've  liad  along  with  your  penn' worths  of  tobacco,  and  many 
a  wc-rd  in  season,  to  save  your  being  smoke<i  yourself  in  the  devil's  pipe. 
But  It  fell  amon2;  tares  !  Out  upon  you,  reprobate  !  look  what 's  come  of 
your  profane  scoffing  and  scorning.  Beelzebub  has  not  you  in  his  claws, 
and  1  lie<.r  him  a-swearingand  a-growling  over  you,  like  our  black  tom-cat 
with  a  mouse," 

"  Mr.  Ferrers,"  said  the  magistrate,  "I  am  satisfied  of  the  malice  pre- 
pense. You  may  fill  up  a  'nittiinus,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  1  will  hear  the. 
accused,  if  he  wishes  to  speak.  Joseph  Spiiler,  have  you  anything  further' 
to  urge?" 

"  Nothing,"  answered  Joe.  "1  knew  it  would  go  hard  with  me,  and 
nothing  else  —  not  that  I  vally  my  life  —  I  would  n't  sky  a  copper  for  it  with 
Jack  Ketch  himself.  If  I  was  let  off  for  murder,  I  should  be  drawed  and 
quartered  some  day  for  high  treason,  for  I'm  a  marked  man. — Nothing 
can't  save  me  I" 

"  Oh,  the  wicked  heathen  !''  shouted  the  ranter,  jumping  up  from  his 
chair,  and  flourishing  his  arms.  "He  do  n't  believe  in  the  saving  power  of 
grace.  But  I  '11  tackle  him  —  I  '11  thrash  the  old  man  out  of  him,  and  he  shall 
be  born  again !" 

"I  wish  I  could  !"  exclaimed  Joe,  who,  like  a  great  modern  violinist, 
played  wonderfully  on  one  string  ;  "  but  that 's  unpossible  ;"  and  ho  drop- 
ped his  desponding  head  in  its  old  position. 

"What 's  impossible,  you  wretched  Pagan?"  exclaimed  the  ranter,  his 
voice  rising  from  a  gale  to  a  hurricane  ;  "what's  impossiblQ  ?"  —  but  he 
suddenly  stopped,  and  turned,  with  a  look  of  alarm,  towards  the  door,  while 
the  sound  of  person?  in  contention  rose  higher  and  higher. 

"  Slave,  stand  back,"  exclaimed  a  voice  more  imperious  than  the  rest: 
the  door  burst  open,  and  the  brown  woman  entered,  and  walked  straight  up 
to  the  table  of  justice.  Of  course  such  an  unexpected  apparition  struck  the 
\rhole  assembly  with  amazement.  The  constable,  inspired  by  his  old  awe, 
involuntarily  retreated  behind  the  magisterial  chair ;  the  clerk  jumped  to 
his  feet,  clutching  his  pen-knife ;  and  the  Justice  himself  gave  unequivo- 
cal signs  of  perturbation.  The  heart  of  St.  Kitts  beat  thick  ;  but,  above 
all,  her  appearance  terrified  the  gigantic  ranter.  His  cheek  blanched,  as 
though  her  knife  had  drunk  what  remained  of  his  life-blood,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  support  him&elf  on  the  back  of  a  chair. 

"  Aye !"  s!ie  said,  riveting  her  dark  eyes  on  the  Justice ;  "  you  may  well 
wonder  to  see  me  again,  of  my  own  accord,  under  a  roof  where  I  once  had 
such  a  sorry  welcome.  But  I  do  not  come  to  tax  its  hospitality  for  bread 
and  water  and  stripes.  — My  errand  is  to  do  justice,  which  does  not  reside 
tiere,  though  the  name  is  on  the  door!" 

"  Woman,"  said  the  magistrate,  in  a  tone  whichshowed  that  he  had  assum- 
ed the  black  cap,  "  your  present  outrageous  conduct  assures  me  that  the  past 
punishment  was  but  an  earnest  of  worse  penalties  to  come.  I  know  my 
duty,  and  will  not  shrink  from  it  at  the  menace  of  a  violent  woman.  Come 
before  me  again  on  the  same  charge,  and  my  sentence  shall  send  you  to  the 
same  bridewell.  But  God  forbid  that  the  meanest  should  be  denied  a  hear- 
ing, in  due  time  and  place,  so  stand  back,  and  when  the  present  case  is 
disposed  of  you  may  speak." 

"  It  is  my  pleasure  to  speak  now,"  said  the  woman  ;  "  the  proper  place 
and  the  duo  season  are  better  known  to  mc  than  to  yourself.  Listen,  then, 
for  the  sentence  becomes  my  mouth  better  than  yours.  Release  that  poor 
destitute  creature,  who  has  no  more  blood  on  his  hands  than  in  his  cheeks  !" 

"Woman,  you  are  raving,"  said  the  Justice  ;  "  what  would  you  have  — 
that  I  should  discharge  a  common  assassin?" 

"  I  have  been  mad,"  answered  tho  woman,  "  and  may  bo  mad  a^ain  ; 
But  I  am  not  mad  now.    If  murder  was  attempted,  it  was  by  my  hand,  and 
F 


122  TYLNEY    HALL. 

this  was  tlie  weapon."  So  saying,  she  drew  forth  the  knife  and  held  i^ 
aloft,  her  black  eyes  flashing,  and  her  lip  curling  in  scornful  triumph,  like  a 
second  Judith,  exulting  in  the  slaying  of  another  Holoferjies.  "  Yes,"  she 
continued,  "  faded  as  this  face  is,  and  this  form  disfigmed  by  mean  apparel, 
even  these  poor  remains  of  what  was  once  called  beauty,  could  tempt  tho 
violence  of  a  ruffian!  Is  the  tale  true,  or  not?"  she  cried,  turning  round 
suddenly  upon  Uriah,  with  the  glare  of  a  tigress.  "  Perjure  your  soul  if 
you  dare !" 

Although  thus  frightfully  adjured,  the  habitual  courage  of  the  ranl'^r  did 
not  forsake  him.  "  Away,  woman,"  he  shouted,  "  away  with  you  !  the  Devil 
is  the  father  of  lies,  and  you  are  their  mother !  —  you  've  a  whole  family  of  'em 
—  great  grown-up  lies,  and  little  lies,  and  hes  as  can  just  go  alone, —  and  this 
here  is  one.  Here 's  a  Sapphira  come  among  us  —  a  Sapphira,  to  swear  and  Ic 
forswear,  and  bear  false  witness —  and  I  wonder  she  do  n't  drop  down  stone 
dead!  — Oh,  lying  —  lying,  of  all  sins  I  cannot  abide  lying — it  turns  me 
inside  out !  —  She  or  me  must  leave  the  room  !" 

*' Peace  then,  and  dread  your  own  voice,"  said  the  woman,  "and  as  you 
are  so  devoted  to  truth,  listen  to  mine.'' 

"Mr.  Bundy,"  said  the  magistrate,  "  let  her  say  her  say,  uninterruptedly^ 
and  you  shall  have  the  same  privilege  of  reply;" 

"  1  know  my  innocence,"  said  the  ranter,  "  and  the  spirit  is  willing,  but 
the  flesh  is  weak.  I  'm  in  pain,  carnal  bodily  pain.  One  of  us  must  not 
tarry.  Dead  corpses  will  fall  a-bleeding  when  the  murderer  comes  nigh  'em, 
and  wounds  will  begin  aching,  when  them  are  standing  by  as  give  them. 
Ever  since  that  woman 's  been  here,  I  've  had  a  gnawing  at  my  side  like 
raging  mad  dogs  !" 

"  O  you  shallow  hypocrite !"  exclaimed  the  woman,  with  unutterable 
acorn.  "Behold  the  perjured  liar  convicted  out  of  his  own  mouth!  He 
swore  it  was  a  man  that  stabbed  him  !" 

"As  sure,"  said  the  clerk,  "as  a  cock's  not  a  hen.  That  spur  touched 
him  in  the  right  place,  he  can  never  go  in  again  !" 

"  Egad  !"  said  Sir  Mark,  "  it 's  all  out  of  him.  He  rose  well  at  her  fence  ; 
but  she  had  a  deep  ditch  for  him  on  the  other  side." 

"I  think  we  have  a  clear  case  of  perjury,"  said  the  Justice,  "  whatever 
may  become  of  the  attempt  to  murder." 

"  I  'd  give  a  guinea,"  exclaimed  Ringwood,  "  the  Squire  had  been  here  I 
It  beats  badger-drawing." 

The  ranter  had  drawn  himself  up  to  his  full  height ;  and,  like  a  lion  at 
bay,  turned  his  shaggy  head  from  one  speaker  to  another,  as  if  estimating 
his  own  powers  to  cope  with  them  all,  and  deciding  where  to  make  his  first 
spring.  But  the  odds  were  against  him.  Lion-like  as  he  seemed,  he  was 
confronted  by  a  being  as  wild,  as  fierce,  and  as  daring  as  himself,  and  whose 
calm  smile  expressed  hate  quite  as  fearfully  as  the  savage  grin  to  which  it 
replied.  He  turned  from  her  with  a  growl,  and  then,  looking  round  the 
room,  bellowed  out  a  general  curse,  waving  his  arms  abroad,  as  if  to  assist 
in  the  distribution  of  the  malediction. 

"You  '11  all  be  consumed  —  all  on  ye !  — and  if  I  stays  here  I  shall  be 
consumed  along  with  ye  !" —  whereupon  he  bolted  through  the  door,  and 
his  powerful  harsh  voice  was  heard  muttering  far,  far  away  into  the  dis- 
tance. 

"  Let  him  go,  Gregory,"  —  said  the  Justice  to  the  constable,  who  put 
himself  in  motion  as  soon  as  the  ranter  was  fairly  out  of  hearing  ;  "  let  him 
go.  There  are  such  things  as  warrants  in  case  of  need.  As  for  thisTellow, 
he  is  discharged  ;  and  I  feel  bound  to  say  without  a  blot  upon  his  charac- 
ter." 

"  And  the  woman,"  inquired  the  clerk,  "is  she  to  be  at  walk  or  in  the 
coop  ?" 


TYLNEY  HALL.  12S 

"  Committed,"  said  the  magistrate,  assuming  his  Brutus  look,  and  a 
severt.  tone  worthy  of  tlie  look.  "Committed,  wore  she  my  own  sister.  I 
have  yet  to  consider  whether  a  nameless  stroller,  of  questionable  means  and 
notorious  violence,  should  be  let  loose  on  society,  armed  with  an  illegal 
weapon,  to  the  terror  of  his  Majesty's  liege  subjects." 

''  Liege  cowards  !"  said  the  woman.  "  Am  I  responsible  for  the  fears  of 
the  dastardly  ?  Is  it  wonderful  that  a  lone  female,  like  me,  and  a  wan- 
derer, with  no  more  strength  than  belongs  to  her  sex,  should  desire  the  pro- 
tection of  something  more  formidable  than  her  own  weak  arm?  The  ruffi- 
anly blood,  still  crusting  the  blade,  ought  to  be  my  apology  !" 

"  The  strong  arm  of  the  law  will  shield  you,"  said  the  Justice  ;  "but  at 
the  same  time  it  shall  protect  the  peaceable  from  your  violence.  You  are 
committed." 

*'  Upon  what  charge  ?"  said  the  clerk,  looking  up. 

"  Under  the  Vagrancy  Act,"  said  the  justice  :  unless  she  will  now  con- 
descend to  inform  me  of  her  name,  her  place  of  residence,  and  her  means  of 
living." 

"  Ask  me  those  questions,"  said  the  woman,  "  when  we  are  more  in  cir- 
cumstances of  equality.  Ask  me  apart  from  your  myrmidons,  in  the  middle  of 
some  wide  barren  waste,  where  no  human  beings  are  visible  but  ourselves  ; 
or  at  dead  of  night  in  some  lonely  ruin  ;  and  I  will  tell  you  that  I  have  the 
same  natural  privileges  as  yourself:  the  same  right  to  live  where  I  will,  or 
how  I  will,  to  starve  on  wild  herbs  and  berries  in  preference  to  a  menial's 
pittance,  and  to  sleep  under  the  bare  cope  of  heaven  rather  than  the  roof  of  a 
poor-house.  Call  me  to  account  in  some  such  spot,  and  attempt,  if  you 
dare,  to  control  my  choice.  The  liberty  which  God  gave  me,  man  shall 
not  wrest  from  me.  Lay  but  one  finger  upon  me,  in  compulsion,  and  like 
other  tyrants  your  soul  shall  startle  at  the  outcry  of  '  war  to  the  knife  !'  " 

"  A  pretty  doctrine  truly,"  replied  the  magistrate,  very  coolly,  "  to  come 
from  the  lips  of  one  who,  from  her  complexion,  was  born  and  bred  in  some 
land  of  slaves." 

"  Aye,  you  are  right,"  said  the  woman  ;  "  but  there  I  was  the  ruler  and 
not  the  ruled  ;  I  was  the  mistress  and  not  the  slave ;  a  look  hinted  my  will ; 
a  word  expressed  it ;  and  if  needful,  the  whip  enforced  it.  And  am  I  come 
hither  to  endure  dictation  —  to  have  my  motives  scrutinized — my  wishes 
disputed  —  my  acts  condemned  —  to  be  ordered"  —  here  her  eyes  flashed 
fearfully,  '*  instead  of  ordering  the  lash  ?" 

"  By  combs  and  spurs,"  said  the  clerk,  "  she  has  more  game  in  her  than 
ever  I  saw  ;  if  she  was  a  hen,  her  eggs  would  be  worth  their  weight  in  gold 
—  regular  Mother  Goose's  !" 

"  lalways  held  to  it,"  said  Sir  Mark,  twitching  the  Justice's  sleeve,  "she 
was  well-bred  —  the  blood  some  tiptop  planter  or  nabob.  Every  master 
must  hunt  his  own  as  he  likes,  but  in  ours  we  always  whip  off  with  a 
vixen," 

"Justice  demands  example,"  said  the  stern  magistrate,  involuntarily 
looking  on  the  opposite  wall  for  the  picture  of  the  Roman  Judgment ;  and 
in  no  case  can  the  warning  be  more  salutary  than  when  the  vengeance  of 
the  law  falls  on  a  head  exalted  above  the  multitude.  The  lightning  of 
heaven  selects  the  tallest  trees  to  strike  upon,  and  so  should  the  bolts  of  jus- 
tice. "Woman,  you  have  obviously  received  the  blessings  of  education,  and 
have  not  therefore  the  vulgar  plea  of  ignorance  of  your  social  duties.  You 
have  been  intrusted  with  the  rule  over  others,  and  thereby  must  be  held 
cognizant  of  what  is  proper  for  your  own  guidance  ;  you  have  confessedly 
occupied  a  rank  of  life  and  a  degree  of  aflluence  which  throw  the  more 
suspicion  on  the  mysterious  anonymous  character  and  the  equivocal  mode 
of  life  you  think  proper  to  adopt.  I  have  a  painful  but  imperious  duty  to 
fulfil.    Master  Gregory,"  he  was  going  to  add,  "  do  your  duty ;"  but  aa 


124  TTLNEY   HALL. 

he  made  an  appropriate  gesture  of  authority,  hia  arm  was  arrested  by  a 
tremulous  hand,  while,  in  the  person  of  his  daughter, 

"  Dejected  Pity  by  his  side 
Her  soul-subduing  voice  applied." 

"For  the  love  of  mercy,"  said  Grace,  "if  you  would  have  me  smile,  or 
sing,  or  sleep  in  peace  for  a  twelvemonth  to  come,  do  not  commit  her.     Let  • 
the  poor  wretch  go  free  !" 

"  Wretch  !"  echoed  the  woman,  and  she  turned  a  look  on  the  speaker 
that  almost  petrified  her:  "Wretch! — lam  v.'retched,  mdeed,  and  have 
born  with  hard  names  from  the  aged  and  cold-hearted  ;  but  from  the  young, 
and  gentle,  and  beautiful  —  for  I  was  once  their  mate  —  such  titles  come 
like  the  deadly  bite  of  the  galli-wasp,  that  leaves  its  broken  teeth  in  the 
wound.  Yes,  lovely  as  you  are,  I  was  once  deemed  as  lovely,  though  not 
so  fair  in  my  skin.  These  bare  arms  have  circled  with  gold  and  gems  — 
this  neglected  hair  has  sparkled  with  diamonds,  and  this  ill-dad  figure  has 
been  decked  with  the  choicest  silks  of  the  loom !  In  my  own  island  I  was 
loved  and  adored,  young  lady,  as  much  as  you  can  be  in  this;  —  and,  if 
ever  your  young  ear  has  been  addressed  with  the  titles  of  man's  idolatry, 
from  mere  women  up  to  angel,  know  that  all  those  terms  of  admiration  and 
fondness  have  been  lavished  on  me.  But  the  cane  has  been  crushed,"  she 
added  with  a  sigh ;  "its  sweetness  is  gone,  and  I  am  nothing  now  but 
trash,  for  the  trash-house  !" 

"  Indeed,  you  must  let  her  go,"  said  Grace,  hanging  on  her  parent. 
■'  You  must  grant  this  request  as  though  it  were  my  last !" 

"  And  in  gallantry.  Sir,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  you  must  grant  me  the 
same  request,  being  my  first;"  but,  before  the  Justice  could  reply,  the 
woman  made  out  her  own  discharge  a-'  characteristically  as  her  entrance. 

"  I  have  made  a  longer  visit  than  strict  politeness  would  warrant,"  she 
said,  with  the  air  and  dignity  of  a  duchess  of  the  court  of  Louis  XIV. : 
"  but  my  concern  for  an  unfortunate  criminal  must  be  my  excuse.  No 
compliments,  I  beg.  I  will  depart,  as  I  came,  without  ceremony.  Positively 
I  will  have  no  attendance ;  not  even  to  the  door  of  the  room  ;"  and,  with  a 
significant  but  graceful  wave  of  the  knife,  she  retired,  curtseying,  leaving 
the  whole  assembly  staring  at  each  other,  in  a  paroxysm  of  amazement. 

The  constable  was  the  first  to  speak.  "  Come,  Master  Joe,"  he  said, 
"  don't  stand  a-puUing  a  long  face,  as  if  you  was  in  the  cart  with  Jack 
Ketch.     Budge,  man,  budge  ;  you  *re  let  off",  his  worship  says." 

"Your  worship,  if  it's  all  the  same,"  said  Joe,  addressing  the  Justice,  "  I 
don't  want  my  discharge.  As  the  woman's  bolted,  I  don't  mind  goin  to 
prison  in  lieu  on  her.  It  will  be  bed,  board,  and  lodging,  any  hows  ;  and 
that's  more  than  I  can  get  outside." 

"  No,  no,  Joe,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  keep  out  of  jail.  As  the  Squire  called 
tome  when  I  was  going  at  the  Willow  Brook,  you  won't  like  it  when  you're 
in.  Hark  ye,  Joe :  I  did  mean  to  give  you  a  rating  about  Bedlamite,  but 
it  has  been  done  for  me,  for  a  heavy  hand  has  been  lain  on  you  ever  since. 
Only  never  take  charge  of  a  hunter  again." 

*'  Not  for  a  purse  of  guineas,"  exclaimed  Joe ;  "  there  would  be  the  same 
end  on  it.  If  there  was  a  gravel-pit  within  fifty  miles,  he'd  break  his  neck 
in  it." 

*'  There,  then,  take  that,"  said  the  Baronet,  tossing  him  a  piece  of  gold  ; 
"  go  and  get  a  good  feed  or  two,  and  when  you're  in  better  condition,  look 
out  for  a  job  of  work." 

"  The  Almighty  bless  you.  Sir  Mark,"  ejaculated  Joe,  "  and  prosper  you, 
and  send  you  good  luck,  and  that's  saying  everything.  It  looks  like  a 
turn,"  he  continued,  gazing  at  the  coin  in  his  open  hand,  "if  I  don't  lose 
it  or  get  choused  out  on  it,  which  is  all  on  the  cards.    But  us  for  getting 


TYLNEY    HALL.  125 

work  when  the  money's  gone,  there  's  no  chance  on  it.  The  last  place  I 
got,  I  was  turned  out  in  half  an  hour  —  but  I  looked  for  somethinjE;  of  the 
sort." 

"  For  some  delinquency  of  course  ?"  said  the  magistrate. 

"It  was  my  ill  luck,"  said  Joe,  "  as  got  me  warning.  I  was  took  on  at 
the  powder  mills,  but  the  men  riz  agin  me,  and  would  n't  work  alon^  with 
me,  'cause  I  was  sure  to  make  a  blow  up.  From  there  I  went  to  Lord 
Thinoembob's  as  wanted  a  hermit  to  live  on  his  crrounds." 

"  Well,"  said  the  magistrate,  "  there  were  no  fellow- work  men  to  object 
to  you  there." 

"  No,  your  worship,"  ansvored  Joe,  "  but  I  knew  afore  I  applied  there 'd 
be  somethin  agin  me  ;  and  so  up  came  my  want  o'  larnin.  For  just  arter 
I  was  born,  the  charity  school  was  put  injo  chancery,  and  I  wus  growed  up 
afore  it  got  out  agin,  and  that's  been  a  bar  to  me  through  life.  Howsom- 
ever,  the" guinea  will  keep  me  a  while  longer  from  a  brickbat  at  my  neck, 
or  my  own  garter,  and  a  crowner  over  my  body,  for  that's  as  sartin  as  if  I 
felt  him  sittin  on  it.  It  ar'n't  for  nothin  I've  got  sich  a  nickname  as  Un- 
lucky Joe." 

With  this  gloomy  foreboding,  Fortune's  poor  victim  took  his  leave  ;  and, 
like  Christian,  resumed  his  burthensome  journey  of  life,  hung  all  over  with 
the  slime  and  mud  of  the  Slough  of  Despond. 

"Egad!"  said  Sir  Mark,  "he's  likely  enough  to  trouble  old  Stubbs  and 
a  dozen  more,  to  find  why  his  body's  swelled  up,  like  a  cow's  after  clover, 
or  his  cheeks  are  purple,  and  his  eyes  staring  out  of  his  head.  I  never  yet 
saw  a  man  recover  who  gave  himself  up  so.  I  remember  a  gentleman  with 
a  gig-shaft  through  his  body,  promising  his  friends  he  would  get  over  it, 
and  so  he  did  :  and  another  fellow  with  only  a  few  scratches  and  bruises, 
declared  himself  a  dead  one,  and  so  it  came  off!  There  are  many  sorts  ot 
deaths  for  Joe,  but  it's  felo  de  se  against  the  field  ;  and  particularly  if  the 
methodist  parson  would  take  him  into  training.  I  don't  know  anything 
more  likely  than  ranters  and  canters  to  make  one  sick  of  the  world  !" 

"  You  are  acquainted  with  Uriah,  then  ?"  asked  the  Justice. 

*'  To  be  sure  I  am,"  said  the  Baronet :  "  he  is  fond  of  coming  to  the  meets 
of  the  Hunt,  and  attacks  every  man  in  scarlet  as  he  would  the  Scarlet  Lady 
herself.  Many 's  the  time  he  has  turned  me  down  to  Satan,  and  Beelzebub, 
and  Belial,  and  Apollyon  —  but  I  can't  go  through  half  the  names  of  his 
pack.  I  verily  believe  some  day  I  shall  horsewhip  him.  Nobody  respects 
religion  more  than  I  do,  or  goes  more  regularly  to  church  ;  —  but  these 
fellows,  confound 'em  !  are  not  content  with  setting  up  toll-gates  in  the 
road  to  heaven,  but  they  must  be  as  extorting  and  as  insolent  as  turnpike 
men  to  boot!" 

"  You  should  hear  the  Squire,"  said  Ringwood,  "  he  is  the  reverse  of 
talkative  ;  but  when  he  meets  the  ranter  he  lets  loose  in  earnest.  I  expect 
Bometimes  they  will  set-to  like  Broughton  and  Slack." 

"  It  would  be  six  to  four  on  Uriah,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  and  no  takers. 
Ned  is  a  light-weight,  and  the  ranter  is  a  big  one.     What  say  ye,  Kate?" 

"Indeed,  I'm  thinking,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "it  would  be  like  Jack 
the  Giant-Killer  fighting  Galligantus.  I  never  saw  a  human  being  so 
frightfully  resembling  an  ogre  as  the  ranter.  He  looks,  while  saving  sinners* 
souls,  as  if  he  longed  to  eat  their  bodies.  I  have  heard  from  my  childhood 
of  Bogie,  but  I  was  never  introduced  to  him  before." 

"  And  for  my  part,"  said  Grace,  "  I  have  read  of  Fates,  and  Furies,  and 
Amazons,  but  till  this  morning  they  were  reckoned  among  ancient  fictions. 
I  shall  dream  of  that  gipsy  queen  for  a  month  to  come." 

"It's  a  thousand  pities,"  said  Sir  Mark  ;  "  bat  I  quite  forgot  her  skill  in 
palmistry.  You  ought,  Grace,  to  have  shown  her  that  little  white  hand  oi 
yours ;  and  Ringwood  should  have  had  his  fortune  told  at  the  same  time— 


126  TTLNET  HALL. 

and  Raby  too.  I  will  not  pretend  to  say  how  it  is  done;  but  she  certainly 
can  see  the  other  side  of  the  hedge.  You  should  have  heard  her  with  my 
nephew  when  she  told  him  —  but  what  is  become  of  St.  Kitt's?" 

"  Stole  away,  a  few  minutes  after  the  brown  woman,"  replied  Ringwood, 
I' and  by  this  time  he  is,  may  be,  taking  turn  about  with  Unlucky  Joe  in  learn- 
ing his  doom  beforehand." 

The  Creole  had  actually  withdrawn  himself  as  his  cousin  described. 
Durinw  the  woman's  presence  he  had  watched  for  some  secret  sign  of  re- 
cognition, or  hint  of  an  assignation;  but  his  expectation  ended  in  disap- 
pointment, for  he  could  not  even  catch  her  eye.  Her  injunction  was  for- 
gotten. The  approaching  term  reminded  him  of  the  painful  probability  of 
returning  to  college  with  the  question  which  lay  nearest  to  his  heart  still 
unsolved  ;  and  he  determined  at  all  hazards  to  follow  her,  and  to  ascertain 
finally  whether  the  obnoxious  reproach  of  his  birth  was  to  be  cured  or  to  be 
endured.  Trusting,  therefore,  to  his  own  invention  for  an  excuse  after- 
v/ards,  he  slipped  quietly  out  of  the  room,  and  leaving  the  company  to  their 
own  conjectures  as  to  his  absence,  set  forth  in  pursuit  of  the  wanderer. 
Possibly  the  latter  anticipated  this  course ;  for  she  studiously  chose  the 
most  unfrequented  lanes  and  by-ways,  and  it  was  finally  in  the  loneliest 
and  dreariest  spot  of  the  neighbourhood  that  the  Creole,  like  Saul,  held 
communion  with  his  Witch  of  Endor. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

You  do  seem  to  know 
Something  of  me,  or  what  concerns  me :  Pray  you 
(Since  doubting  things  go  ill,  often  hurts  more 
Tlian  to  be  sure  they  do:  for  certainties 
Either  are  past  remedies,  or,  timely  knowing, 
The  remedy  then  born)  discover  to  me 
What  both  you  spur  and  stop. 


My  other  self,  my  counsel's  consistory, 

My  oracle,  my  prophet, 

I  as  a  child  will  go  by  thy  direction. 


CvMBELime. 


Richard  III. 


*' You  have  ill  obeyed  my  command,  Walter  Tyrrel,"  said  the  woman, 
as  she  seated  herself  on  a  log  by  the  way-side:  "I  bade  you  not  seek  me; 
and  as  the  first  and  only  injunction  I  ever  laid  on  you,  it  deserved  more 
respect." 

"You  should  have  told  me  all  then,  or  nothing,"  said  the  Creole:  "it 
was  your  own  pleasure  to  invoke  my  curiosity,  and  you  must  lay  the  spirit 
you  have  called  up." 

"  Sit  down  then  beside  me,"  said  the  woman,  "  and  give  me  your  hand." 

"Pshaw!  that's  a  mummery,"  said  the  Creole  impatiently.  "AVhatI 
desire  to  know  concerns  the  past  rather  than  the  future,  so  you  may  spare 
your  palmistry." 

"  My  thoughts  glance  backwards,  as  well  as  yours,"  said  the  woman  ; 
'and  have  as  little  to  do  with  palmistry.  Tell  me,  Walter  Tyrrel,  is  it 
becoming  that  I  and  my  child,  my  foster-child,  should  meet  without  a  grcet- 
ino'?     If  I  claimed  an  embrace  even,  it  might  be  my  due." 

'*'  There  it  is,  then,"  said  the  Creole,  extending  his  hand  to  her,  which  she 
covered  with  kisses  —  "  1  am  a  poor  fond  woman,  and  my  doting  memory 
will  fly  back  to  the  time  when  you  hung  smiling  on  my  bosom,  or  lay  sleep- 
ing on  ray  knees." 


TTLNEY   HALI>.  127 

"Enough  of  the  nursery,"  said  the  Creole,  "I  seek  not  to  know  where 
or  how  I  slept,  or  what  childish  ditty  served  for  my  lullaby." 

"Walter  Tyrrel,"  said  the  woman,  solemnly,  "scorn  not  my  love.  You 
-nay  live,  Hke  me,  to  lament  the  dearth  of  it/  Aye,  at  this  very  moment, 
*«ckon  up  the  hearts  that  are  devoted  to  your  interest ;  and  can  you  poll 
fio  many,  that  mine  is  to  be  despised?  Shall  I  set  down  your  cousins  fo>- 
two?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Creole,  bitterly,  "but  with  a  tick  against  each  name, to 
mark  them  as  doubtful  votes." 

"And  what  is  your  own  feeling  towards  your  kinsmen?"  asked  the 
woman. 

"I  fear  but  a  neutral  one,"  said  the  Creole:  "it  seems  to  occupy  a  de- 
bateable  land  between  love  and  hatred,  and  to  make  occasional  incursions 
into  either  territorj'." 

"  You  must  hale  them,"  said  the  woman,  vehemently,  and  with  the  gut- 
tural utterance  of  the  very  jmssion  she  inculcated.  "You  must  hate  them 
mortally  —  as  I  do !  There  are  some  persons  who  profess  to  repay  evil 
with  good,  to  render  kindness  for  unkindness  ;  but  that  is  no  creed  of  mine- 
I  return  scorn  for  scorn  —  wrong  for  wrong  —  blow  for  blow,  —  and  the 
being  that  reproached  me  with  my  birth,  should  have  cause  to  rue  his 
own." 

"Hat"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  with  a  start,  as  if  she  had  touched  him 
with  another  weapon,  "  how  came  you  to  know  that  taunt  7" 

"  I  have  ears,"  answered  the  woman,  "  and  I  have  eyes  :  and  if  I  some- 
times play  the  eavesdropper  and  the  spy,  it  is  to  prosper  the  last  wish,  the 
last  hope,"  the  last  blessing  I  possess  on  earth.  I  have  heard  that  taunt  ut- 
tered ;  and  have  seen  it  wring  you  Uke  the  sting  of  the  scorpion ;  and  well 
it  may!" 

"  It  is  true,  then,"  said  the  Creole,  in  a  tone  of  despondency,  "  and  I  must 
put  up  with  the  reproach." 

"It  is  false,"  said  the  woman,  "and  the  scoff  must  bo  avenged.  Your 
parents  were  united  in  wedlock  —  holy  wedlock  as  it  is  called  —  and,  for  as 
ranch  as  it  is  worth,  you  are  legitimate." 

"  Thanks  be  to  heaven!"  said  the  Creole,  "and  to  you,  for  that  comfort- 
ing speech.  No  form  of  human  words  ever  sounded  so  sweetly  to  my  ears 
as'that  one  sentence !  It  has  plucked  a  shaft  out  of  my  bosom  that  has  long 
rankled  there,  and  has  healed  the  wound  of  years  in  a  breath.  I  am  now 
Rinswood's  equal !  Let  him  dare  to  taunt  me  now,  and  he  shall  have  it 
hurled  back  in  his  teeth,  and  the  lie  along  with  it." 

"  Not  yet,"  said  the  woman,  "  the  time  is  not  come.  But  remember 
every  wrong;  record  every  insult ;  add  word  to  word,  and  deed  to  deed, 
till  the  whoTe  heap  of  injury  be  worthy  of  a  stern  and  deep  revenge,  a  full 
and  final  atonement." 

"That  is  a  task  beyond  the  stretch  of  my  patience,"  said  the  Creole.  "I 
must  strike  now  —  now,  when  I  am  stricken.  In  a  short  time  we  return 
to  Oxford,  where  the  unworthy  ins^ilt  may  find  repetition ;  amongst  the 
fellows  —  in  common-hall  perhaps  —  but  the  walls  shall  re-echo  with  my 
contradiction." 

"And  where  are  your  proofs?"  said  the  woman.  "Will  you  refer  to 
the  words  of  an  obscure  vagrant  —  a  reputed  gipsy  —  who  professes  to 
have  nursed  you  in  childhood  —  a  tale  very  improbable,  though  strictly 
true?  But  be  satisfied  ;  the  proofs  may  one  day  be  necessary-  to  establish 
yoor  civil  rights,  and  be  assured  they  shall  be  forthcoming." 

"  And  why  not  now  ?"  asked  St.  Kitts,  with  a  gesture  of  impatience. 

"Walter  Tyrrel,"  said  the  woman,  "I  will  not  be  questioned.  If  not 
your  parent  by"  course  of  nature,  I  am  the  direct  representative  of  your  mo- 
ther* and  in  right  of  my  entire  love  and  devotion  ought  to  possess  your 


128  TYLNET  HALL. 

fi^ratitude  and  confidence.  Wlierofbre  am  I  in.  this  country?  why  in  fhi5 
earlii  even,  but  for  the  sake  of  Walter  Tyirel  ?  He  is  the  last  link  of  a 
chain  of  love,  the  sole  tie  that  attaches  me  to  a  weary  world,  where  other- 
wise my  own  hands  would  long  since  have  shortened  my  passable  to  the 
grave.  INIy  sun  is  set  and  my  day  is  in  the  wane,  but  fhere  is  still  ano 
bright  pomt  in  my  sky,  like  the  sole  star  of  the  evening,  —  you  are  that  soli- 
ta,ry  star,  that  particular  orb,  to  which  my  affections,  my  hopes,  and  ry 
wishes,  all  point  with  the  constancy  of  the  magnetic  needle.  For  you  and 
your  welfare,  I  am  ready  to  peril  my  body  here,  and  my  soul  hereafter , 
and  for  this,  in  the  absence  of  her  who  bore  yon,,  your  duty  is  due  to  myself. 
Yes,  Walter  Tyrrel,  you  must  love  me,  honour  me,  and  confide  in  m€. 
You  must  listen  to  me  —  and  you  must  obey  me !" 

*'  I  cannot  dispute  your  credentials,"  replied  the  Creole  ;  **  neither  will  I 
rashly  reject  nor  admit  your  rights  over  me :  but  I  may  reasonably  protest 
against  the  mode  in  v/hich  they  are  proposed  to  be  exercised.  Granting 
such  a  connexion  to  be  established  between  us  as  you  have  asserted,  what 
possible  reason  can  exist  for  letting  it  lie  dormant,  whilst  we  mutually  suffer 
by  imputation  ;  you  —  excuse  me  —  as  an  equivocal  character,  and  I  under 
a  stigma  which  you  declare  to  be  unfounded?  Your  manners  and  lan- 
guage persuade  me  that  you  have  occupied  a  situation  in  life  to  which  my 
uncle  would  gladly  endeavour  to  restore  you." 

"  Never,"  said  the  woman,  with  energy,  "  never  will  I  become  a  depend- 
ant in  any  of  its  grades.  A  free  will  such  as  mine  has  been,  cannot  stoo-p 
to  be  controlled,  or  even  to  be  gainsaid  by  advice.  Rather  would  I  lead,  as 
I  now  live,  the  life  of  a  savage.  Witli  sufficient  means  to  supply  the  wants 
of  nature,  I  shall  be  contented  to  act  as  the  guardian  genius  of  Walter 
Tyrrel ;  and  to  serve  him  well  and  truly  I  am  willing  to  remain  a  namelesp 
foreign  wanderer,  unshackled  by  any  further  communion  with  the  world 
and  as  unrestrained  by  its  laws,  customs,  and  prejudices,  as  the  very  queen 
of  the  wild  vagrant  tribe  I  am  supposed  to  govern." 

"At  least,"  said  St.  Kitts,  who  began  to  be  touched  by  her  devoted  pro- 
fessions of  attachment,  "  you  will  allow  me  to  contribute  to  your  personal 
comforts.     My   uncle's  allowance  is  liberal,  and,  with  my  own  small  an 
nuity,  enables  me  to  lay  by  a  sum  that  I  would  cheerfully  appropriate  to 
your  service.     It  would  at  least  provide  a  decent  lodging." 

"  I  am  lodged  already,"  said  the  woman,  "  and  have  a  home,  such  as  be* 
*its  my  homely  fare  and  my  household  habits.  You  shall  have  my  secret, 
and  1  must  know  some  of  yours.  We  are  met  in  the  very  spot  for  such 
divulgings  ;  where  a  change  of  the  cheek  from  white  to  red,  or  from  red  to 
white,  would  be  perfectly  invisible.  In  this  solitary  lane  there  is  a  night- 
like shadow,  even  at  noon-day,  and  the  over-arching  trees  lay  their  heads 
together  and  tremble  and  whisper  like  state  conspirators.  You  have  heard 
of  Hennessey's  Hut  ?"  —  the  Creole  nodded  assent  —  "a  temporary  lodge, 
for  the  use  of  some  gamekeeper  who  committed  murder  there,  or  was  mur- 
dered, I  remember  not  which.  It  is  there  that  I  dwell,  a  desolate  woman 
within  desolate  walls,  and  in  the  solitude  I  covet ;  —  for  the  hut  is  haunted, 
and  the  vulgar  take  care  not  to  intrude  on  my  retreat  for  fear  of  encounter- 
ing the  duppy  —  I  mean  to  say  the  ghost.  Some  day  you  shall  visit  me 
there  ;  but  mind,  Walter  Tyrrel,  not  without  an  invitation." 

"  Your  secret  shall  be  as  safe  with  me,"  said  the  Creole,  "  as  in  the  keep- 
ing of  the  dead.  And  now,  under  the  same  solemn  pledge,  what  do  you  seek 
to  know  from  me  ?" 

"  It  concerns  yourself."  said  the  woman.  "  I  have  some  foreknowledge 
of  your  fate  ;  for  whatever  man  or  woman  wishes  to  be,  they  may  gene- 
rally become ;  we  are  masters  and  mistresses  of  our  own  fortunes,  more 
sitrictly  than  the  weak  and  the  timid  are  willing  to  admit.  My  questions 
refer  therefore  to  the  present,  rakher  than  to  future  contingencies :  and  in 


TTLNET    HALL.  129 

the  first  place,  for  what  profession  does  your  uncle  de?ign  you,  when  you 
hall  quit  the  University  ?" 

"  For  my  father's  profession,"  said  the  Creole,  —  "  the  army ;  Sir  Mark 
has  promised  to  purchase  me  a  commission  in  the  Guards." 

"Aye,"  said  the  woman,  "  to  carry  the  colours  throui^hout  the  prime  of 
your  life,  and  be  a  captain  at  fifty,  if  not  earlier  slain  in  battle,  or  carried 
off  by  a  duel  :  for  your  complexion  will  be  apt  to  excite  the  raillery  of  the 
officers.  They  may  some  day  think  of  tracing  your  pedigree  to  the  black 
cymbal-player  in  the  band  of  the  regiment,  —  aye,  there  's  a  scowl,  and 
your  hand  seeks  for  a  sword  !  But  to  be  serious.  Your  main  hope  is  your 
uncle  :  but  fox-hunters  sometimes  die  suddenly,  —  a  neck  is  broken  in  an 
instant,  —  and  after  the  death  of  Sir  Mark,  how  would  your  prospects  look 
if  gilded  with  no  more  sunshine  than  would  be  shed  on  them  by  the  new 
Baronet,  Sir  Ringwood  ?" 

"Cloudy  enough,  heaven  knows  !"  answered  the  Creole. 

"  But  again,"  said  the  woman,  "if  Sir  Ringwood  also  should  break  his 
neck,  for  he  too  is  a  follower  of  Nimrod,  and  that  pale-fxced  youth,  his  bro- 
ther, should  succeed  to  the  title  and  the  estates,  would  your  hopes  be 
brighter  then  ?" 

"  Not  a  whit,"  said  the  Creole.  "  If  the  first  of  November  were  foggy 
and  gloomy,  I  should  hardly  look  for  better  weather  on  the  second.  My 
two  cousins,  with  respect  to  their  love  for  me,  are  equal  shareholders  in  a 
very  small  capital." 

"  And  if  Raby  should  die  too,"  said  the  woman,  "  what  would  happen 
then?" 

"  The  estates  would  go  to  the  heir-at-law,"  said  the  Creole ;  "  and  Tyl 
aey  Hall  would  have  a  new  master." 

"  Yourself,  Walter  Tyrrel ;  your  own  self;"  said  the  woman.  "Has 
it  never  entered  your  mind  to  inquire  into  the  order  of  the  succession  ?" 

"  Never,"  said"  the  Creole.  "  As  a  natural  son,  the  subject  did  not  con 
oern  me ;  nor  does  it  much  interest  me  now,  when  I  am  declared  legiti 
mate.  It  is  such  a  remote  chance  as  I  would  sell,  this  minute,  for  Esau' 
mess  of  pottage." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  the  woman,  "  it  is  such  a  chance  as  may  happen. 
I  have  known  as  rapid  promotions  without  a  war.  In  the  West  Indies,  the 
cassava-worm  and  a  long  thumbnail  would  make  it  certain  ;  but  to  you, 
that  is  a  riddle.  As  J  said  before,  hard  riders  get  hard  falls ;  and  a  fox- 
hunter  may  be  in  at  his  own  death,  instead  of  reynard's :  neither  do  I  con- 
sider that  a  pale,  sedentary  student  must  necessarily  be  a  long  liver,  be. 
cause  he  sits  when  he  should  walk,  and  watches  when  he  ought  to  sleep; 
no,  the  thread  the  fates  spin  for  him  is  frail  and  short." 

"It  is  just  possible,"  said  the  Creole  ;  "  but  Raby  rhymes  with  maybe  — 
he  may  some  day,  like  Prospero,  drown  his  book,  and  renew  his  lease  of 
life  by  turning  gentleman-farmer  ;  while  R.ingwood  may  tire  of  the  chase. 
But  enough  of  this  :  mine  is  not  the  patience  that  can  wait  barefoot  for  the 
reversion  of  dead  men's  shoes.  I  would  rather  be  the  builder  of  my  own 
fortune." 

"  Yes  —  hod-carrier  and  all,"  said  the  woman,  with  a  sneer  ;  "  tediously 
raisinp,  it  up,  brick  after  brick  ;  and  I  may  live  long  enough  to  seethe  foun- 
dation. Time  is  as  necessary  to  raise  fortunes  as  forests ;  there  must  be 
grow*h,  growth,  growth.  A  year  or  two  may  suffice  to  environ  you  with 
oelts  and  clumps  of  saplings  ;  but  century  on  century  must  elapse  to  sur- 
round you  with  the  maiinificent  oaks,  and  chesnuts,  and  beeches,  that  em- 
bosom the  Hall.  Alethinks  it  were  a  proud  feeling  to  ride  down  its  stately 
avenue,  and  looking  round  on  that  lordly  mansion,  and  its  noble  park,  to 
exclaim,  All  this.  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel,  from  the  sky  to  the  earth's  centre,  10 


your  own 


I" 


7—2 


130  TYLNEY  HALL. 

"  A  proud  feeling  indeed,"  said  the  Creole ;  "  but  you  might  as  wtU,  like 
Satan,  take  me  to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain,  and  offer  me  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth." 

"Walter  Tyrrel !"  said  the  woman,  angrily,  "you  have  twice  quoted 
from  a  volume  in  which  I  place  no  faith  ;  and  the  second  time  to  liken  me 
to  a  devil ;  but  I  will  not  now  dispute  about  creeds.  You  may  believe  or 
not  in  those  scriptural  prophets,  provided  you  will  also  give  your  credence 
to  me.  I  pretend  to  nothing  beyond  human  foresight ;  yet  as  surely  as 
there  is  an  air  we  breathe  in,  so  certainly  shall  you  ride  between  those  trees 
I  have  mentioned,  and  you  shall  feel  the  proud  feeling  I  have  supposed,  and 
think  the  very  thoughts  I  have  uttered  !  Mark  my  words,  and  you  may 
M'ell  wish  them  to  come  true.  The  man  ought  to  have  some  such  prospect 
before  him,  who  hopes  one  hope  that  I  could  name  to  him." 

"  It  is  a  flattering  promise,  truly,"  said  the  Creole  ;  "  but  to  obtain  such 
implicit  credence,  you  must  go  to  my  aunt's  Scotchwoman,  who  puts  faith 
in  the  second-sight,  a  superstition  in  which  I  am  not  yet  a  believer.  But 
what  is  this  hope,  which  demands  such  a  golden  consummation  ?" 

"To  —  marry  —  Grace — Rivers,"  answered  the  woman,  with  an  em- 
phatic pause  between  each  word,  at  the  same  time  placing  her  hand  upon 
his  arm  as  if  to  judge  of  the  effect  of  the  communication  ;  and  she  had  well 
udged  its  power.  He  started  up,  as  from  an  electric  shock,  and  for  some 
minutes  stood  gazing  intently  at  the  speaker,  as  if  he  expected  a  bodily 
change  to  come  over  her ;  but  there  she  sat,  in  the  same  quiet  attitude, 
neither  moved  by  his  emotion  nor  surprised  at  his  amazement.  The  gloom 
Df  the  place  would  not  allow  him  to  distinguish  the  smile  that  played  on  her 
ace,  but  it  was  implied  in  the  very  tone  of  her  voice  when  she  s})oke  :  — 

"  Pray  sit  down  again,  and  do  not  stand  staring  about  me  for  a  black 
cat  or  a  broomstick,  as  though  I  were  a  witch.  Is  it  anything  marvellous, 
that  one  who  has  known  love  in  all  its  phases,  should  be  able  to  detect  the 
signs  of  the  passion  in  another,  more  especially  when  that  other  has  been 
watched  so  naiTowly  as  I  have  watched  Walter  Tyrrel?  1  could  tell  you 
things  infinitely  more  startUng,  without  reference  to  any  familiar  but  expe- 
rience.'' 

"  I  will  doubt  nothing  you  can  tell  me  hereafter,"  said  the  Creole,  resum- 
ing his  seat.  "  By  heaven,  you  have  bared  my  heart  before  me,  and  shown 
me  hopes,  and  wishes,  as  strange  to  me  as  my  own  person,  before  I  saw 
rt  reflected  in  a  glass  !  But  say  on,  for  I  recognise  the  augury,  and  from 
this  moment  you  shall  be  my  oracle  and  my  guide." 

"  I  have  confessed  to  you,"  said  the  woman,  *'  that  I  have  been  a  very 
spy  for  your  sake ;  I  have  walked  with  some  as  silently  as  their  shadow, 
and  I  have  talked  with  others,  who  thought  they  were  conversing  with  a 
man;  but  that  was  a  masquerade.  I  have  watched  and  listened;  and  you 
shall  have  the  sum  of  my  intelligence.  One  thing  is  certain  ;  your  love  for 
Miss  Rivers  must  be  hatred  of  your  two  cousins,  for  the  youngest  is  your 
rival,  and  I  fear,  a  favoured  one." 

"I  believe  it,  indeed,"  muttered  the  Creole,  between  his  teeth ;"  but 
Raby  shall  never  have  her  !" 

"  You  are  right," said  the  woman.  "She  is  destined  to  prefer  Ringwood, 
by  special  agreement  of  the  two  fathers  —  aye,  clench  your  hands  and 
stamp  your  foot !  were  I  a  man,  nay  woman  as  I  am,  no  living  being 
should  stand  safely  between  my  heart  and  its  object.  But  the  right  hour 
will  come.  You  are  soon  to  return  to  Oxford  ;  but  }'our  college  studies 
must  be  very  different  to  those  you  have  hitherto  pursued.  Instead  of  por- 
ing over  Greek  and  Latin  authors,  fix  your  eyes  intently  on  the  book  ot 
fate—  read  your  own  fortune  —  turn  over  the  pa^cs  of  your  hopes,  your 
wishes,  and  your  fears  ;  think  of  Raby  and  Grace  Rivers — tliink  of  Ring- 
wood,  and  of  me  —  resolve  what  to  do,  and  resolve  to  do  it  —  there  is  a 


TYLNEY    HALL.  131 

bright  path  before  you.  In  the  mean  time  man  may  plot,  but  woman  can 
counterplot ;  aftd  there  is  one  whose  whole  wit  and  will,  heart  and  soul,  are 
devoted  to  your  service.  Be  of  good  courage  !  The  taunt  will  be  avenged, 
the  grave  will  receive  its  dead ;  and  then,  when  the  Hall  is  won,  and  the 
lady  is  wed,  and  my  word  is  fultilled,  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  himself  will  be  the 
first  to  do  thus." 

As  she  pronounced  the  last  word,  the  Creole  suddenly  found  himself  in 
li3i  arms,  and  before  he  could  disengage  himself  she  kissed  him  on  each 
side  of  the  face;  she  then  broke  away  with  her  usual  abruptness,  and  hur- 
ried along  the  lane,  leaving  St.  Kitts  to  gaze  after  her,  like  a  man  "  drown- 
ed in  a  dream." 

At  last  he  remounted  his  horse  and  rode  thoughtfully  homeward  ;  and  as  ho 
reflected  on  what  had  passed,  his  memory  recatled  a  thousand  trivial  circum- 
stances, inexplicable  at  the  time  of  their  occurrence,  but  now  that  he  was 
furnished  with  a  clue,  they  all  tended  to  corroborate  the  intellijgence  he  had 
received.  The  mutual  attachment  of  Raby  and  Grace,  and  the  matrimo- 
nial scheme  of  Sir  Mark,  were  soon  clearly  developed,  and  then  came  rash 
and  revengeful  thoui^hts  and  suggestions  more  dark  and  dangerous,  which 
were  chased  away  only  to  return  again,  like  the  flies  round  his  horse'3 
head.  As  he  entered  the  avenue  he  mvoluntary  repeated  the  words  which 
the  woman  had  predicted  he  should  some  day  utter  in  that  spot ;  and  the 
title  of  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  was  repeated  again,  and  again,  and  again,  in 
mental  echoes,  till  he  stood  on  the  very  steps  of  the  Hall. 

Fortunately  he  arrived  a  short  time  before  the  party  returned  ;  and  throw 
ing  himself  on  a  sofa,  he  prepared  to  act  the  indisposition  he  meant  to  plead 
in  accounting  for  his  abrupt  departure  from  Hawksley.  As  he  really  looked 
jaded  and  distressed,  the  excuse  was  well  received  ;  the  Baronet,  irnleed, 
remarked  on  his  languid  appearance  the  moment  he  entered,  and  prescrib- 
ed a  tumbler  of  mulled  wine,  and  an  application  to  Dr.  Bellamy,  the  latter  ot 
which  recommendations  the  Creole  declined.  It  was  nothing,  he  said, 
but  a  headache  and  dizziness  which  had  made  him  hasten  into  the  air ;  and, 
since  the  ride  home  he  was  better,  and  should  be  well  in  less  time  tnan  Old 
Formality  would  consume  in  coming. 

"  Egad,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  you  stole  away  cleverly  ;  nobody  but  Ring- 
wood  saw  you  break  cover.  We  all  settled  down  to  it  that  you  had  bolted 
after  the  gipsy,  to  get  her  to  tell  from  her  conjuring  cards  what  sort  of 
hands  you  are  to  hold  through  life." 

•'  And  here  is  your  dog,  St.  Kitts,  which  you  forgot  in  your  haste,"  said 
Raby,  putting  down  the  little  animal  on  the  sofa  beside  his  master,  who 
fixed  his  eyes  intently  on  the  speaker,  and  his  distempered  fancy  whispered 
to  him  that  a  smile  of  malicious  triumph  accompanied  the  delivery  of  the 
rejected  spaniel.  He  returned  thanks,  therefore,  with  a  bitter  frown,  which 
was  attributed  to  the  pain  in  his  forehead  ;  but  it  proceeded  from  a  deepei 
pang ;  and  from  that  moment  the  woman's  injunction  concerning  the  feel- 
ing he  should  entertain  towards  both  his  cousins  was  rigidly  obeyed.  R,ing- 
wood  had  for  some  time  been  his  aversion,  and  the  brother  now  became  an 
object  of  equal  dislike.  Every  sigh  for  Grace  involved  an  execration  on 
Raby,  so  that,  unnatural  as  such  an  allegory  must  appear,  Love  carried 
the  torch  of  Hatred  in  his  hand,  and  fanned  it  with  his  own  breath. 


32  TYLNfil    HAJLL. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


Verily,  his  temper  hath  travelled,  and  put  up  so  frequently  at  certain  inns,  that  it  hath 
adopted  their  signs.  It  shows  as  fiery  as  a  Dragon,  as  angry  as  a  Red  Lion,  as  rude 
afl  a  Bear  with  a  Ragged  Siaff ;  — he  is  as  bad  company  as  a  Blue  Boar,  and  hath  got- 
ten the  triek  of  bellowing  out  his  words  at  the  Bull  and  Mouth. 

Every  Man  out  of  his  Humour. 

For  my  part,  I  was  always  a  bungler  at  all  kinds  of  sport  that  requked  either  patience 
or  adroitness;  and  had  not  angled  above  half  an  hour,  before  I  had  completely  satisfied 
the  aentiment,  and  convinced  myself  of  the  truth  of  Izaak  "Walton's  opinion,  that  an- 
gling is  something  like  poetry  —a  man  must  be  bom  to  it. 

Washington  Irving, 

They  met  all  innocence —  and  hope  —  and  youth  : 
And  all  their  words  were  thoughts,  —  their  thoughts  pure  truth: 
Every  new  day  that  pass'd,  pass'd  them  the  fleeter, 
And  hours,  though  sweet,  were  chased  by  hours  still  sweeter  : 
Love  had  adopted  them. 

The  Garden  of  Fi-orence. 

A  FEW  days  after  the  visit  to  Hawksley,  an  old  acquaintance  called  at  tho 
Hall,  and,  taking  Sir  Mark  by  the  foot,  instead  of  the  hand,  politely  insisted 
on  his  remaining  seated  in  his  easy  chair:  in  other  words,  the  Baronet  waa 
dir.abled  by  a  fresh  attack  of  podagra  ;  his  feet  swelled,  and,  being  carefully 
swaddled  up  in  flannel,  were  deposited  on  a  sort  of  stool  of  repentance. 

The  gout  is  a  perfect  Judge  Jefferies  in  trying  the  temper,  for  where  it 
tries  it  always  condemns;  and  even  the  good  htimour  of  the  fox-hunter  be- 
came bitter  bad  under  the  inquisition  in  his  extremities  ;  whilst  the  aspect 
of  domestic  affairs  contributed  not  a  little  to  fret  him  and  stir  his  bile.  Un- 
der the  inflictions  of  this  disorder,  he  always  became  very  meditative :  as  hia 
bodily  activity  was  restrained,  his  mental  energies  grew  busy;  and,  when 
his  limbs  resumed  their  usual  exercise,  his  mind  became  passive  in  propor- 
tion. Thus,  when  the  fleshly  race  lies  prostrate  at  dead  of  night,  the  dis- 
embodied spirits  rise  up  and  walk  ;  and  at  morning,  when  the  ghosts  lis 
down  again  in  the  grave,  the  carnal  tribes  get  up  erect,  and  move  about  — 
such  is  the  alternate  reign  of  the  immaterial  and  the  material.  In  this  pos- 
ture. Sir  Mark  had  leisure  to  ruminate  on  many  a  cud  composed  of  sour  and 
bitter  herbs,  which  supplied  him  with  plenty  of  vinegar  and  gall  ;  and  during 
hie  splenetic  fits  he  employed  himself  in  framing  fret- work,  putting  toads 
under  harrows,  and  similar  amusements,  in  which  cedomatous  martyrs  are 
aj>t  to  indulge,  at  the  expense  of  those  about  them.  He  drove  the  studeni 
to  sporting,  and  the  sportsman  to  study —  forbade  Ringwood's  visits  to  Hol- 
lington,  Raby's  to  Hawksley,  and  the  Creole's  to  either ;  whilst  Mrs.  Ha- 
milton was  tormented  with  complaints,  till  she  almost  wished  herself  back 
at  Glencosie  ;  even  the  first  favourite,  had  she  been  present,  would  hardly 
have  escaped  a  snubbing.  Never  before  had  he  been  known  to  be  so  cro&.s- 
grained  and  perverse :  he  was  really  a  family  nuisance,  from  which  there 
was  no  escape  ;  for  when  any  one  left  the  presence,  he  did  not  fail  to  com- 
pare himself  to  a  wounded  deer  that  is  shunned  by  the  herd  ;  and  if  that 
failed,  there  was  an  absolute  command  from  him,  as  commodore,  not  to  part 
company. 

Thus  assembled  round  him  in  the  drawing-room,  the  party  would  have 
made  a  whimsical  family  picture,  every  individual  bring  in  a  si  ran  "c  t  li> 
mi?'jt,  like  tho  personages  in  Iho  modern  iarc»- of "  Fish  ont  of  AVaTrr,'* 
Mneru  the  ambassador's  secretary  bus  to  make  chocolaie,  and  the  cook  tiioa 
to  write  despatches.     Beside  the  fireplace,  in  glooiry  ;;,onty  state,  sat  tho 


TYLNEY    HALL.  13S 

Baronet  himself,  occupying  a  sort  of  forbidden  circle,  within  which  no  hu- 
man foot  could  approach,  without  incurring  an  awful  denunciation.  He  was 
quite  as  much  out  of  his  line  as  any  one,  for  he  held  the  "  Paradise  Lost"  in 
his  ri^ht  hand,  and  a  chair  on  his  left  was  occupied  by  some  dozens  of  vo- 
lumes, forming  a  pyramid  of  poetry.  On  the  other  side  sat  Mrs.  Hamilton 
with  a  newspaper,  and  a  weary  sleepy  look,  as  if  she  had  been  silting  up 
all  night ;  but  in  truth  she  had  only  been  reading  some  long  prosy  dozy 
speeches  in  the  "Parliamentary  Debates"  of  that  period,  and  listening  to 
her  brother's  comments,  equally  tedious  and  somniferous,  for  of  all  disagree- 
able tics  on  earth,  politics  were  as  odious  to  her  as  sheepticks,  fanatics, 
frantics,  splenetics,  or  tic-douloureux.  Next  to  her  sat  Raby,  fumbling  among 
fur,  wool,  feathers,  and  silk,  pretending  to  make  a  May-fly,  in  deference  to 
the  paternal  humour  ;  and  opposite  to  him,  at  a  table,  sat  Ringwood,  like 
a  great  schoolboy,  copying  out  the  poems  which  his  father  selected,  while 
at  the  end  of  the  same  table  St.  Kitts  attempted  to  propitiate  the  gouty  tem- 
per by  working  on  an  unfinished  drawing  of  "  Hounds  going  to  Cover," 
which  he  had  thrown  aside  in  disgust  the  year  before. 

The  Baronet  eyed  them  all  in  turn,  making  mouths  at  them,  and  crabbed 
faces,  which  perhaps  belonged  to  pain,  and  perhaps  to  peevishness  ;  and, 
hke  an  armed  ship  among  gun-boats,  he  kept  firing  away,  now  a  shot  at 
one,  and  then  a  shot  at  another,  wherever  he  could  bring  his  artiilery  to 
bear. 

"  Here,  Ringwood,"  he  said,  "copy  out  this  piece  of  Mr.  Milton's  poetry, 
and  begin  with  'Grace  was  in  all  her  steps'  —  Zounds,  sirrah,  'ware  gout' 
Keep  off" my  toes !  Can't  you  let  me  die  first,  before  you  try  to  thrust  youi 
feet  into  my  shoes?  Look  there,  Raby  will  be  dubbing  on  till  doomsday; 
his  May-fly  will  be  in  time  for  August.  Why,  boy,  if  you  were  thrown  on 
a  desert  island,  like  Robinson  Crusoe,  you  would  be  starved  alive,  for  you 
can  neither  hunt,  fowl,  nor  fish !  But  go  on,  Kate,  with  the  debate  about 
royal  marriages,  —  or  give  me  the  paper,  for  I  see  it  goes  against  the  grain 
with  you.  I  know  your  opinions  on  such  subjects.  You  would  have  the 
heir  to  the  crown  go  a-courting  where  he  likes  ;  love 's  a  plant  with  strong 
roots,  and  the  Prince  may  plant  it  at  a  cottage  door,  and  his  royal  father  is 
not  to  speak  a  word.  Parents  are  not  to  interfere  ;  there 's  to  be  no  whip- 
ping-'n  ;  young  people  are  to  run  riot,  babbling  after  whatever  game  they 
like,  hare  or  fox,  deer  or  rabbit,  or  even  pulling  down  mutton.  Let'em  match, 
racer  and  cartmare,  no  matter  what.  I  suppose  if  you  heard  Dr.  Cobb  put- 
ting up  Ringwood  Tyrrel  and  Dolly  Wiggins,  or  Raby  and  Nancy  Trott, 
or  St.  Kitts  and  the  queen  of  the  gipsies,  you  would  not  stand  up,  not  you, 
and  say,  I  bar  the  banns?" 

"  Upon  my  word,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton  with  a  subdued  smile,  "  my  ima- 
gination never  suggested  any  associations  so  improbable." 

"Maybe  not,"  said  the  Baronet  testily;  "but  you  can't  guess  a  young 
^over's  line  quite  so  well  as  a  fox's  ;  you  do  n't  know  whether  he  '11  go  up 
the  wind  or  down  the  wind  ;  —  but  go  on  with  the  speeches  —  or  stay,  I  '11 
first  take  a  look  at  my  nephew's  picture" — (the  drawing*was  handed  to 
him) — "Aye,  going  to  cover,  —  and  I  hope  they '11  find  a  fox  with  three 
legs,  or  else  they'll  never  catch  him.  There's  a  hound  for  you  ;  some  of 
Alderman's  blood  of  course,  for  he's  pot-bellied  enough  for  the  father  of  the 
corporation." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  the  Creole,  "it's  only  in  outline,  and  that  apparent 
bulk,  when  it  comes  to  be  rounded  ofl^with  the  shadows " 

"  Round  it  off'with  a  pariiig-knifc,"  said  the  Baronet,  who  seemed  inclined 
to  punish  the  Creole  for  carrying  Blenheim  spaniels  to  Hawksley.  "And 
h.ere  's  a  nag !  Egad,  your  huntsman  is  queerly  mounted.  I  've  seen  a  good 
many  horses  in  my  day,  some  standing  high  in  front,  and  some  behind,'and 
eo  forth,  but  I  never  met  with  a  nag  with  two  long  near  legs  and  two  short 
2* 


IS4  TYLNEY   HALL. 

offlegs,  like  this  phenomenon.  He  must  lean  on  one  side  in  going,  like  a 
yacht  in  a  squall." 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  said  St.  Kitts,  "  it  is  the  perspective  that  makes  the 
legs  of  such  different  lengths." 

"  My  best  thanks  for  the  information,"  said  the  perverse  Baronet ;  "  the 
next  horse  I  buy  I'll  have  it  put  into  the  warranty,  —  free  from  spUnt,  spa- 
vin, ringbone,  and  perspective.  You  may  well  grin,  Ringwood  ;  but  get 
on  with  your  writing,  —  and  hark  ye,  do  it  in  a  gentlemanly  sort  of  running 
hand,  and  not  like  a  charity-boy's  Christmas  piece.  A  bit  of  a  curvet,  too, 
with  the  pen,  now  and  then,  is  well  enough,  but  the  last  copy  I  saw,  half 
your  words  left  off  with  a  little  flourish  that  had  the  very  twist  of  a  sow's 
tail. — Yes,  yes,  St.  Kitts,  it's  now  your  turn  to  grin  ;  but  remember  one 
thing  —  if  it  should  please  God  to  reduce  us  to  beggary,  we  mus'nt  turn 
drawing-masters;  — no,  nor  fishermen  neither,  if  we  fumble  over  a  hook 
like  Raby.  —  Curse  this  gout! — I  'U  tell  you  what,  Kate,  you  want  me  to 
have  Dr.  Bellamy,  I  know  you  do  by  your  looks,  —  but  if  I  'm  to  leave  this 
world,  I  do  n't  want  Old  Formality  to  bow  and  scrape  me  out  of  it.  So 
mark  me  ;  if  he  enters  the  Hall,  I  '11  walk  away  from  it;  I  will,  by  Jove,  if 
I  walk  on  my  hands  like  a  mountebank!" 

In  this  querulous  tone  the  Baronet  indulged  for  some  time,  till  at  length 
the  fly^maker  jumped  up,  and,  to  the  envy  of  his  fellow-sufferers,  quitted  the 
room,  exclaiming  as  he  went,  "Now  for  a  trout!"  —  a  fish  for  which  Sir 
Mark  had  taken  an  untimely  yearning,  and,  with  the  waywardness  of  a 
longing  woman,  he  insisted  that  it  should  be  caught  by  no  one  but  his 
younger  son. 

Accordingly,  to  the  utter  astonishment  of  the  household,  the  studious 
Raby  was  seen  setting  forth  from  the  Hall  with  a  fishing-rod  over  bis 
shoulder ;  but,  with  a  prophetic  misgiving  as  to  his  piscatory  success,  he 
carried  neither  basket  nor  can.  In  lieu  of  these,  one  pocket  was  furnished 
with  a  copy  of  Walton's  Complete  Angler,  a  volume  he  was  very  fond  of 
reading :  skipping,  however,  all  the  parts  that  related  practically  to  angling ; 
and  in  the  other  pocket  was  a  note-book,  wherein  he  occasionally  pencilled 
scraps  of  verse,  the  originals  of  which  would  have  been  vainly  sought  for  in 
the  poets  from  Homer  downwards.  A  few  stanzas,  which  he  composed 
ano  entered  in  its  pages  during  his  progress  through  the  park,  will  s'^rve  to 
show  the  very  unsportsmanlike  tone  of  feeling  with  which  he  could  walk 
over  a  domain  abounding  in  game  of  every  sort,  without  once  taking  aim 
with  his  mind's  eye,  or  putting  a  wish  upon  half-cock. 

Play  on,  ye  timid  Rabbits ! 

For  I  can  see  ye  run. 

Ne'er  thinking  of  a  gun, 
Or  of  the  ferret's  habhs. 

Ye  sportive  Hares !  go  forcing 
»  The  dew-drop  from  the  bent ; 

My  mind  is  not  intent 
On  greyhounds  or  on  coursing. 

Feed  on,  ye  gorgeous  Pheasants  ! 

My  sight  I  do  not  vex 

With  cards  about  your  necks, 
ForestalUng  you  for  presents 

ojo  gazing  on,  and  bounding, 

Tnou  solitary  Deer ! 

My  fancy  does  not  hear 
Hounds  baying,  and  horns  sounding. 


TTLNET    HALL.  i9f 

Each  furr'd  or  feather'd  creature, 

Enjoy  with  me  this  earth, 

Its  life,  its  love,  its  mirth. 
And  die  the  death  of  nature  ! 

Thus  provided,  he  directed  his  steps  towards  a  stream  which  flowe^ 
/ound  the  extremity  of  the  park,  and  divided  the  estate  of  the  Baronet  froii« 
ihat  of  the  Justice;  but  a  httle  rustic  bridge  afforded  the  means  of  com- 
munication betw^een  the  neighbours,  when  they  chose  to  visit  each  other  on 
foot.  The  brook  was  shaded  only  on  one  side  by  trees,  so  that,  from  the 
opposite  bank,  the  angler  could  freely  cast  his  fly  upon  the  water,  and,  to 
judge  from  many  a  silvery  flash,  as  the  fish  sprang  out  of  the  green  shadows, 
in  skilful  hands  the  line  would  not  be  cast  in  vain.  In  one  part  the  stream 
had  a  slight  fall,  sufficient  to  cause  a  continual  murmur  and  a  desirable 
agitation  of  the  water,  for  the  trout,  like  champagne  drinkers,  prefer  tho 
brisk  and  bubbling  to  the  still  element:  and  here  Raby  ought  to  have  piled 
.lis  bait ;  but  from  ignorance,  or  some  latent  reason,  he  chose  a  station  near 
the  bridge,  where  he  prepared  his  tackle,  and  probably  no  human  being 
ever  took  rod  in  hand  with  such  premeditated  forbearance  towards  the  finny 
race. 

A  single  trout  was  all  that  he  wished  or  designed  to  capture  ;  but  from 
the  style  of  his  commencement,  even  that  one  had  a  chance  of  remaining 
uncaught.  The  very  first  cast  lodged  the  fly  upon  the  branch  of  a  tree,  to 
which  it  was  so  partial  that  it  refused  to  return  with  the  line ;  but  Raby 
was  unconscious  of  the  loss,  and  kept  whipping  on,  till  his  arm  ached,  or 
course  without  obtaining  a  single  rise.  Such  bad  luck  astonished  him  ; 
for,  although  he  was  a  novice  in  the  art,  he  had  been  led  to  expect  dif- 
ferently by  the  description  in  Walton,  where  the  tyro  has  half  a  dozen  trouts 
at  his  fly  in  the  compass  of  a  single.page.  His  patience,  therefore,  began 
to  fail;  and,  concluding  that  there  was  something  adverse  in  the  weather, 
or  the  water,  or  in  the  fish  themselves,  he  laid  his  rod  down  on  the  bank, 
and  pulling  out  his  note-book,  began  inditing  some  fines  to  the  king-fisher, 
which  had  just  glanced  across  his  eyes  like  a  flash  of  blue  light.  He  had 
written  thirteen  fines  of  his  sonnet,  and  was  concluding  it  with  an  "  alas! 
that  brightest  things  should  be  the  fleetest,"  when  l^e  heard  the  sound  of 
footsteps,  and,  under  the  impulse  of  his  usual  nervousness,  he  instantly 
pocketed  his  book,  and  caught  up  his  rod,  and  began  fishing  with  all  his 
might,  like  a  school-boy  who  had  neglected  his  task  for  a  story-book,  or  a 
lawyer's  clerk  who  had  been  detected 

'*  Penning  a  stanza  when  he  should  engross." 

Fixing  his  eyes  intently  on  the  water,  and  professing  to  be  quite  absorbed 
in  his  sport,  he  hoped  to  escape  notice  or  recognition  ;  but  his  manceuvre 
was  in  vain  ;  the  passenger  crossed  the  bridge,  and,  coming  to  his  elbow, 
accosted  him  in  a  voice  as  familiar  to  him  as  his  own. 

"  Powers  of  magic !  what  do  I  see  ?  Raby  Tyrrel  transformed  into  a 
fisherman !" 

"Even  so.  Miss  Rivers,"  —  answered  Raby,  quite  as  mucn  embarrassed 
as  Lis  line,  which  had  just  entangled  itself  with  a  bramble  ;  "  and  fortunate 
it  is  that  you  are  no  poor  woman,  to  whom  even  a  chub  would  be  a  charity 
for  1  have  not  a  single  fin  to  bestow." 

"  .^o  great  trial  of  temper,  I  dare  say,"  answered  Grace,  "  though  sucn 
a  result  would  make  some  anglers  for^ft  the  meekness  that  belongs  to  the 
character.  You  wore  always  confessedly  averse  to  killiuir  in  sport,  and  I 
percf.'ivc  you  have  been  fisliins  very  characteristically  wittiout  hook  or  llv." 

The  angler  blushed,  as  he  looked  towaras  the  end  of  his  line  and  dis 
covered  the  deficiency.     •'  I  guess  how  it  is,"  he  said  :  "  my  artificial  insect 


136  TYLNEY    HALL. 

imitated  ihc  natural  one  so  abominably  that  it  chose  to  settle  on  yonder 
willow,  and  there  it  hangs,  no  doubt  with  its  steel  sting  through  one  of  the 
twigs,  instead  of  the  gills  I  intended  it  to  pierce." 

"  What !  you  fish,  in  earnest  ?"  exclaimed  Grace,  with  a  mixture  of  real 
and  mock  astonishment,  "  I  can  hardly  believe  rry  ears.  You  have  neither 
turned  Catholic,  nor  is  this  Lent :  what  eloquent  old  Palmer  has  converted 
you  and  made  you  a  disciple  in  his  art  ?" 

"  The  gout,  Grace,  the  gout,"  answered  Raby ;  "  that  has  transformed 
every  one  at  the  Hall.  It  has  converted  my  good-humoured  merry  father 
into  a  terrible  tormentor,  who  has  been  riding  by  turns  on  all  our  neckti, 
like  the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea.  In  obedience  to  his  whim,  I  botched  up  a 
May-fly  with  my  own  hands,  and  came  hither  to  catch  a  trout  for  his  dinner. 
I  wish  he  may  not  have  to  make  shift  on  a  minnow." 

*'  A  most  filial  work,"  said  Grace,  "and  one  deserving  better  success. 
It  makes  me  wish  that,  like  Cleopatra,  I  could  send  my  divers  to  hang  trout 
upon  your  hook.  But  pray  fish  on  ;  for  Sir  Mark's  dear  sake,  I  would  try 
myself  to  bob  a  bluebottle  about  in  the  water.  Take  another  fly,  and  I 
will  sit  beside  you  and  look  on." 

So  saying,  she  seated  herself  on  a  large  stone,  which  served  as  a  paro- 
chial landmark,  while  Raby  affixed  a  fresh  fly  to  his  line,  and  resumed  his 
angling;  but  the  consciousness  of  being  watched,  and  especially  by  the 
dark  blue  eyes  of  Grace  Rivers,  caused  a  tremor  from  his  heart  down  to  the 
very  tips  of  his  fingers,  and  his  line  started  and  trembled  as  if  a  large  fish 
had  actually  been  struggling  on  the  hook.  At  last  he  bethought  himself 
jf  a  way  of  diverting  her  attention  from  his  own  unskilful  attempts. 

"  There,  Grace,"  he  said,  handing  her  a  book  from  his  pocket ;  "  there 
is  a  volume  that  will  amuse  you  iar  better  than  my  unsuccessful  practice. 
It  will  delight  you  with  its  refreshing  pastoral  images,  and  some  sweet 
madrigals  to  boot,  besides  setting  you  right  in  your  technicals,  when  you 
have  to  speak  hereafter  of  the  mysteries  of  the  angler's  gentle  craft." 

The  young  lady  took  the  book  with  a  smile,  and  was  soon  deeply  engaged 
with  its  contents  ;  whilst  Raby  resumed  his  sport,  if  so  it  may  be  called, 
for  not  a  single  trout  would  rise  to  his  fly,  though  he  whirled  it  about, 
bobbed  it  up  and  down,  drew  it  backward  and  forward  both  slowly  and 
swiftly,  and  then  let  it  lie  motionless.  He  might  as  well  have  fished  in  the 
Eodiac,  attended  by  "  the  man  that  holds  the  watering-pot"  to  receive  "  the 
fish  with  glittering  scales."  At  last,  in  a  desperate  throw,  he  dislocated  the 
top-joint  of  his  rod,  which  dived  endwise  into  the  stream,  then  sprang  up 
again,  and,  settling  on  the  surface,  began  to  drift  away  with  the  current. 
It  was  irrecoverable.  He  watched  the  slender  top-gallant  till  it  whirled 
out  of  sight  in  a  bend  of  the  brook,  and  then  turning  round  to  address  his 
companion,  he  started  to  behold  her,  with  a  flushed  face,  hastily  closing  the 
volume  he  had  given  her  to  peruse.  The  truth  flashed  on  his  mind  in  an 
instant,  and  he  stood  aghast,  in  something  of  the  predicament  of  Cardinal 
Wolsey,  when  he  saw  his  secret  papers  in  the  hands  of  his  incensed  sove- 
reign. 

As  for  Grace,  she  had  cause  for  surprise,  perhaps  anger.  Opening  the 
pages  at  random,  the  unsuspicious  girl  had  found  some  such  poems  as  the 
Sonnet  to  the  Woodpecker,  and  the  stanzas  recently  composed  in  the  park, 
which  she  read  with  more  admiration  than  a  professed  critic  would  have 
thought  due  to  their  merit ;  and  she  was  just  meditating  a  compliment  to 
Raby's  taste  in  the  selection,  when  her  eyes  arrived  at  the  conclusion  of 
some  lines,  the  last  of  which  convinced  her  that  one  poem,  at  least,  was  no 
extract,  but  original.     It  ran  thus  : — 

If  to  believe  that  dreams  were  truth, 
And  all  the  fond  romance  of  youth  5 


TYLNEY    HALli. 

Each  pictured  charm  that  fancy  prized 

In  one  fair  form  now  realised ; — 

If  to  sum  up  in  that  dear  scope 

My  all  of  joy,  my  all  of  hope  ; 

Where  faithlessness  there  could  be  none, 

For  all  the  sex  was  n»erg'd  in  one  — 

If  to  be  happy  in  her  nearness, 

Holdino;  her  very  silk  in  dearness  ; 

As  if  my  heart  could  have  no  home 

But  where  she  was,  or  was  to  come  — 

If  from  the  contact  of  a  finger. 

An  after  bliss  for  days  could  hnger, 

A  feehng  kept  secure  and  chaste, 

Till  by  the  next  sweet  touch  effac'd^ 

If  to  pine  after  pow'r  and  glory 

But  for  one  sake  —  if  in  love  story, 

To  make  each  tenderest  phrase  refer 

All  that  is  bright  and  good  to  her  — 

If  with  all  thoughts  to  haunt  her  bow'r, 

True  as  the  bee  is  to  the  fiow'r  ; 

Her  image  join'd  with  all  day-scheming. 

And  nightly  worshipped  in  all  dreaming  — 

If  ttiese  be  signs  that  love  delivers, 

I  am  thy  lover,  fair  Grace  Rivers. 

The  conscience  of  Raby  instantly  furnished  him  with  the  words  which 
had  caused  so  much  confusion  ;  and  any  young  gentleman  of  a  modest  un- 
assuming disposition,  of  retired  habits,  and  withal  constitutionally  nervous, 
may  estimate  his  consternation  when  he  found  that,  without  preface,  apo- 
logy, or  introduction  to  the  reader,  he  had  placed  in  the  young  lady's  hands 
S-piain  broad  declaration  of  love.  He  threw  his  fishing-rod  into  the  stream, 
and  hastily  snatched  the  tell-tale  book,  which  he  seemed  half  inchned  to 
send  after  the  rod,  in  practical  imitation  of  Southey's  dismissal  of  a  volume 
of  poetry : 

"  Go  forth  upon  the  waters,  little  Book  ! 
I  cast  thee  on  the  waters  —  go  thy  ways  !" 

"  Grace  —  Miss  Rivers,"  he  stammered ,  "  upon  my  honour —  by  all  that 
is  most  sacred,  I  thought  it  was  another  book.  Here  it  is  —  Walton's  An- 
gler," and  he  pulled  out  old  Izaak's  work  with  a  crash  that  told  his  precipi' 
tation  had  been  fatal  to  his  pocket. 

"I  am  afraid — I  hope  —  there  has  been  a  mistake,"  answered  Grace, 
equally  embarrassed,  and  with  her  face  averted  towards  the  brook.  "  My 
eyes  caught  a  few  sentences  ;  but  they  are  banished,  forgotten,  like  words 
read  in  a  dream." 

As  she  spoke,  she  rose  up  from  the  stone,  as  if  to  depart,  but  Raby  de- 
tained her  by  seizing  her  hand.  "  My  dear  Miss  Rivers,"  he  said,  "  do  not 
.eave  me  in  anger.  However  you  may  condemn  the  sentiments  which 
accident  has  disclosed,  say  —  oh,  aay  that  you  forgive  me.  Leave  me  the 
comfort  of  thinking  that  my  inadvertence  has  not  forfeited  the  favour  I  for- 
merly enjoyed." 

*'  There  is  no  offence,"  replied  Grace,  disengaging  her  hand.  "  I  have 
nothing  to  forgive  ;  nay  —  but  I  have  cause  of  quarrel,  for  I  now  know  the 
source  of  many  poems  I  have  received.  Was  it  fair,  Raby,  to  pass  them 
upon  me  under  a  feigned  authorship?" 

"The  same  crime  as  Chattertoa's,"  said  Raby  ;  "  but  do  not  condemn  me 
to  the  same  fate." 

"And  what  was  that?"  inquired  Grace,  not  ignorant  of  the  melancholy 
death  of  "  the  marvellous  boy,  the  sleepless   soul   that   perished  in  liia 


138  TYLNEY    HALL. 

pride,"  but  willing  to  turn  the  conversation  on  subjects  less  embai 
rassing. 

"  To  live  joyless,  and  to  die  despairing,"  answered  Raby,  with  a  tone 
which  proved  that,  lover-like,  he  would  extract  from  all  possible  topics  some 
reference  to  his  own  passion.  "He  wooed  the  Muse,  and  in  return  sha 
starved  him  —  and  must  I  perish  too,  Grace,  with  this  hunger  of  the  heart?" 

"Nay  —  I  am  not  so  implacable  as  Poverty,"  replied  Grace  with  a  smile 
and  a  blush.  *' We  will  still  be  friends  —  under  that  relation  we  have  en- 
joyed many  pleasant  hours  together,  and  —  and  —  I  would  have  the  future 
to  resemble  the  past." 

"And  why  not  happier  and  brighter?"  exclaimed  Raby,  with  all  the 
animation  of  rekindled  hope.  "  Why  not  happier,  brighter,  and  warmer, 
as  the  summer  exceeds  the  spring  ?  Grace,  dear  Grace,  chance  has  brought 
on  the  moment  I  have  lon^^  desired  —  long  dreaded.  In  that  volume  you 
have  read  my  heart.  You  know  the  secret  of  my  soul, —^  that  I  love  you 
—  dearly  —  deeply  —  devotedly  —  " 

He  paused  ;  —  while  Grace,  deadly  pale  and  trembling  with  agitation, 
resumed  her  old  seat  on  the  stone,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  like 
one  dazzled  by  a  sudden  flash  of  that  sheet-lightning  which  seems  as  univer- 
sal but  infinitely  brighter  than  the  blaze  of  a  meridian  sun.  Almost  as  sud- 
den, and  as  vast  and  searching,  was  the  flowing  radiance  by  which  her  own 
heart  became  illuminated  in  its  most  secret  recesses,  discovering  objects 
before  veiled  in  shadow,  but  now  brought  to  view  with  a  startling  promi- 
nence ;  in  one  instant,  as  by  inspiration,  she  arrived  ai  that  most  precious 
of  all  temporal  revelations,  "  I  love,  and  I  am  loved  [^y^^^/lf  /\J^  ^^\*-i^^  t\, 

A  delicious  moisture  crept  to  her  eyelids  as  she  became  cotiscious  of  this 
tender  truth  ;  an  indescribable  tremor  thrilled  through  her  whole  frame  ;  she 
seemed  spell-bound  in  a  delightful  dream,  where  the  will  is  entranced  and 
passive  ;  and  she  had  neither  the  wish  nor  the  power  to  rescue  the  hand 
which,  by  gentle  violence,  was  withdrawn  from  her  face,  now  glowing  with 
the  warmest  tint  of  the  rose. 

A  low  sweet  voice  in  the  mean  time  poured  into  her  ear,  like  a  strain  of 
music,  to  which  her  heart  beat  time,  accompanying  such  language  as  be- 
longs to  that  eloquent  passion  which  turns  even  the  prose  of  life  into  poetry. 
It  did  not  plead  in  vain  ;  love  at  length  found  its  echo  in  a  few  syllables 
that  scarcely  outmurmured  the  stream",  and  they  tasted  together  that  sweet 
apple  of  knowledge  which  introduces  a  pair  of  lovers  into  Paradise  instead 
of  driving  them  from  it.  Many  pens  have  attempted  to  describe  the  trans- 
ports of  such  moments,  but  they  have  never  been  adequately  pictured  in 
writing,  unless  perchance  on  that  mysterious  block  of  marble  in  the  East 
India  Company's  Museum,  inscribed  with  characters  which  no  human  lin- 
guist has  yet  been  able  to  decipher.  SuflSce  it,  then,  that  mutual  vows  were 
exchanged,  and  had  just  been  ratified  by  an  embrace,  when  an  exclamation 
from  Grace  and  a  motion  with  her  hand  directed  Raby's  attention  to  a 
shadow  in  the  water,  and  looking  upwards  for  the  figure  that  caused  the 
reflection,  he  saw  the  brown  woman  standing  watching  them  from  the  mid- 
dle of  the  rustic  bridge. 

The  presence  of  a  stranger  at  such  a  time  would  have  been  sufficiently 
an. loving:  but  there  was  besides  such  a  sinister  expression  in  the  ciark 
countenance  that  lowered  on  them,  that  had  the  owner  been  younger,  her 
ansrry  frown  would  have  seemed  to  belong  to  jealousy  and  the  hatred  of  a 
triumphant  rival.  She  soon  left  her  station,  and  approached  close  to  the 
lovers,  fixing  her  dark  searching  eyes  first  on  one  and  then  on  the  other. 

"•So  you  have  been  wooing,"  she  said,  addressing  herself  to  Raby  ;  "aye. 
and  you  have  been  won,"  she  added,  looking  earnestly  at  Grace.  "  I  know 
love-signs  well.  You  have  told  your  tale,  and  you  have  vowed  your  vows, 
but,  like  the  need  of  the  shaddock,  you  know  not  whether  the  fruit  shall  be 


TYLNEY   HALL.  l39 

sweet  or  bitter.  I  know  it :  and  take  my  warning  ;  build  net  upon  sand  ; 
the  frail  edifice  you  have  erected  may  withstand  a  few  ebbs  and  flows,  but 
a  spring-tide  of  sorrow  shall  wash  away  its  very  foundation." 

"  Never  mind  her,  Grace,"  said  Raby  to  the  terrified  girl,  who  began  to 
tremble  under  her  untimely  denunciations ;  "heed  not  "the  gratuitous  ill- 
bodings  of  a  sybil,  who,  for  a  tester,  will  promise  you  the  fulfilment  of  the 
most  extravagant  wish  you  can  frame." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  young  man,"  said  the  woman  in  a  severe  tone,  "  I 
am  no  mercenary  prophetess,  and  if  I  were,  gold  a  thousand  times  told 
should  not  alter  the  presage  or  avert  its  fulfilment.  As  for  you,  young  lady, 
your  doom  is  doomed.  If  you  take  this  pale-face,  you  suffer  the  penalty  ot 
your  choice —  wo  be  to  your  depraved  taste,  you  die  the  death  of  a  dirt- 
eater." 

"  Woman  !"  said  Raby  indignantly,  "  you  are  mad,  or  worse  than  mad  ; 
but  if  you  were  all  that  you  pretend  to  be,  and  linked  even  with  the  enemy 
of  mankind,  in  the  company  of  such  an  angel  of  Ught  as  this  I  would  defy 
even  the  powers  of  darkness."  So  saying  he  drew  the  arm  of  Grace  within 
his  own,  and  attempted  to  end  the  conference  by  walkmg  away  ;  but  the 
ill-omened  prophetess  removed  at  the  same  time,  and  still  confronted 
them. 

"  Miss  Rivers,  a  icretch  speaks  to  you,"  she  said,  in  bitter  allusion  to  the 
epithet  that  Grace  had  formerly  applied  to  her;  ''but  marry  that  man," 
and  she  pointed  to  Raby  as  with  the  finger  of  fate,  "  and  you  shall  be  as 
wretched  as  I  am.     Heed  not  his  smooth  words,   and  his  soft  speeches, 

—  they  are  but  the  sound  of  kitty-katties,  the  empty  clatter  of  sticks  upon' 
a  board.  There  is  one  loves  you  with  a  love  as  far  surpassing  his  as  a 
pine-apple  to  a  sleepy  pear." 

"  Let  us  go,"  shuddered  Grace,  "she  is  mad  and  dangerous." 

"  No,"  said  the  woman,  "  my  brain  is  sane  and  sound.  She  is  the  mad 
woman  who  ventures  her  all  in  a  frail  bark  that  is  doomed  to  founder.  She 
is  the  crazy  one  who  betroths  herself  to  a  phantom.  But  you  see  not  as  I 
see,  — you  scent  not  the  churchyard  mould  and  the  worm  afar  off,  nor  do 
you  hear  the  death-toll  forestalling  the  wedding  peal.  Grace  Rivers  !  re- 
voke your  plight,  if  you  would  not  be  a  widow  ere  a  wife!  You  are  depo- 
siting your  young  heart  in  a  marble  urn — yes,  there  you  cling  to  him  — 
foolish  girl,  you  are  hanging  on  a  skeleton  !" 

"  Do  not  tremble,  Grace,"  said  Raby,  in  an  under  tone,  with  an  affec- 
tionate pressure  of  the  fair  form  beside  him,  "  do  not  deign  to  tremble  at 
the  croak  of  such  a  raven.  So  far  from  feeling  any  death-like  forebodings, 
I  seem  as  if  the  last  sweet  half  hour  had  made  me  immortal.  As  for  you," 
he  said,  turning  to  the  woman,  "your  outlandish  allusions  have  betrayed 
the  origin  of  your  soothsaying.  In  the  West  Indies  this  Obeah  work 
might  answer  your  purpose,  and  the  ban  would  be  dearly  bought  off;  but, 
remember,  you  are  in  England,  where  there  are  laws  for  vagrants  and  im- 
postors —  and  if  I  may  prophesy  in  my  turn,  I  shall  live  long  enough  to  see 
you  doing  penance  at  the  cart- tail." 

"  And  I  shall  live,"  returned  the  woman,  with  frightful  earnestness,  "  to 
see  you  (orrared  in  mind,  heart,  and  soul,  till  you  shall  long  rather  for  a 
bodily  scourge,  though  every  lash  were  a  whipsnake.     Smile  as  you  list 

—  that  hand  you  are  now  holding  you  shall  never  possess  —  let  it  go, — 
l!!!k  not.  one  finder  with  hers,  or  the  hour  shall  come  when  you  will  curse 
your  own  cruel  love,  for  pulling  her  down  with  you  into  an  unripe  grave. 
Ye»,  it  shall  close  over  you  like  this  !" 

As  sh*»  pronounced  the  last  word  she  threw  a  stone  into  the  stream, 
where  the  water  instantly  swallowed  it  up  out  of  sisiht,  and  before  the  first 
diverging  ring  had  reached  the  bank,  the  speaker  was  twenty  paces  distant, 
and  was  seen  walking  swiftly  away,  with  the  graceful  easy  movements 


140  TTLNEY    HALL. 

thai  characterize  the  females  of  the  western  islands.  To  say  that  Grace, 
or  even  Raby  himself,  was  uninfluenced  by  the  womgm's  forebodings, 
would  be  probably  untrue :  the  human  mind  in  youth,  imbued  with  a  touch 
of  romance,  is  prone  to  superstition  ;  indeed,  love  itself  is  a  superstitious 
passion,  and  thisr  reli'j;ion  of  the  heart,  Hke  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  is 
apt  to  associate  itself  with  mystical  theories,  emblematical  rites,  idolatrous 
worshipping,  and  miraculous  legends.  What  lover,  who  beheves  in  his 
lady's  transmutations,  that  her  smile  will  turn  a  wilderness  into  a  garden 
of  Eden,  can  refuse  his  faith  to  the  Philosopher's  Stone?  What  admirer 
can  gaze  on  his  mistress  in  her  becoming  full-dress,  without  thinking  that, 
like  Belinda,  she  has  had  the  help  of  more  than  mortal  hands,  fairies  and 
sylphs,  on  every  fold  of  her  gown  ?  /^Vhat  adorer  can  watch  his  own  hke- 
ness  reflected  in  his  empress's  eyes/aTid  deny  that  the  starry  spheres  are 
influential  on  the  fate  of  man?  Not  one7^  Initiated  in  love,  we  become 
adepts  in  all  other  occult  sciences,  and  are  devout  alchymists,  astrologers, 
and  Rosicrucians.  Every-day  creeds  and  studies,  and  common-place 
images,  will  not  suit  the  high  tone  of  the  exalted  phantasy.  The  all-im- 
portant course  of  true  love  seems  like  the  mortal  progress  of  a  soul  assaulted 
on  one  side  by  legions  of  devils,  and  defended  on  the  other  by  banded  an- 
gels. Hope  watches  for  signs,  and  Fear  for  omens  ;  and  the  same  intense 
spirit  of  affection,  which  invokes  round  the  head  of  its  object  the  bright 
shapes  of  joy  and  promise,  is  apt  to  conjure  up  the  dark  phantoms  of  dif- 
ficulty and  danger  that  encircle  its  feet.  The  brightest  sunshine  throws  the 
darkest  shadow,  and  the  horrible  spectre  of  Death  could  never  frown  so 
sternly  and  blackly  as  when  thus  introduced  into  the  full  blaze  of  the  golden 
glorious  light  of  love. 

JNIoreovcr,  the  brown  woman  had  spoken  with  the  decided  tone  of  one 
who  either  felt  confident  of  the  mfallibility  of  her  prediction,  or  possessed 
the  power  and  the  determination  of  wresting  the  event  to  its  fulfilment. 
Although  she  had  at  first  repudiated  the  notion  of  fortune-telling,  it  had 
been  attributed  to  her  so  generally  along  with  the  title  of  Glueen  of  the 
Gipsies,  that,  like  Mother  Sawyer,  in  the  old  tragedy,  who,  from  being  a 
witch  by  repute,  became  one  by  habit,  she  gradually  adopted  the  popular 
belief,  and  conceived  herself  endowed  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  A 
shrewd  and  subtle  foresight,  as  to  the  probable  course  of  human  affairs, 
which  she  had  formerly  referred  only  to  her  own  sagacity,  experience,  and 
knowledge  of  the  world,  was  now  associated  with  supernatural  prescience, 
and  the  vague  looseness  of  her  religious  principles  made  her  indifferent  as 
to  the  good  or  evil  nature  of  the  practice,  as  well  as  the  source  of  the  gift, 
wh'^ther  an  inspiration  from  heaven  or  an  emanation  from  hell.  The  im- 
puted attribute  greatly  extended  the  dominion  she  already  enjoyed  —  "the 
power  of  a  strong  mind  over  weak  ones."  Amongst  the  lower  orders  it 
invested  her  with  respect  and  awe,  and  consequent  protection  from  aggres- 
sion or  insult,  whilst  from  servants  and  retainers  it  procured  private  good- 
will and  unbounded  confidence,  furnishing  her  with  a  circumstantial  his- 
tory of  the  past  and  present  in  exchange  for  the  glimmerings  she  chose  to 
give  of  the  future.  Implicit  faith  produced  its  usual  fruit,  a  blir\^ obedience, 
and  every  menial  that  communed  with  her  became  readily  a  spy  or  agent 
in  the  family  with  whose  fortunes  she  thought  proper  to  interfere. 

In  a  moody  fit,  with  the  Sybilline  fancy  strong  upon  her,  she  had  acci- 
dentally become  a  spectator  of  the  ratification  of  the  new  tie  between 
Grace  Rivers  and  Raby  Tyrrel,  and,  remembering  the  rival  interests  of 
her  own  foster-child,  St.  Kitts,  her  wish  was  no  doubt  father  to  the  thought 
that  suggested  the  premature  death  of  the  favoured  lover.  Appalled  "by 
her  vehement  throatenings,  it  was  natural  that  Grace  should  shudder  and 
cling  to  Raby,  and  it  was  quite  as  natural  that  R.;iby  should  fondly  press 
her  to  his  side  and  whisper  words  of  encourajjement,  though  his  voice  be  • 


TTLNEY    HALL.  141 

trayed  that  he  partook  of  the  common  tremor,  hke  a  nervous  man  at  table 
who  attempts,  with  a  shaking  hand,  to  distribute  a  shaking  jelly.  But  the 
alarm  was  transient.  The  thought  of  death  passed  away  like  a  fanciful 
illntss  from  which  the  invalid  suddenly  recovers  at  the  proposal  of  a  party 
of  pleasure ;  and  as  Raby  looked  at  the  beautiful  girl,  now  destined  to  be 
his  own,  every  gloomy  shadow  was  swallowed  up  in  light,  and  he  felt  as 
elated  and  confident  as  if  his  life  had  been  assured  in  the  Phcenix,  his  hap- 
piness in  the  Globe,  and  his  love  in  the  Hand-in-Hand. 

Time  flowed  on  as  unheeded  as  the  stream  by  which  they  stood,  while 
they  reiterated  their  vows  of  mutual  constancy,  and  opened  their  hearts  to 
each  other  with  the  gushing  confidence  which  belongs  only  to  that  fair  fond 
pair,  by  name  even  harmoniously  predestined  to  be  everlastingly  united. 
Youth  and  Truth.  At  last  they  reluctantly  quitted  a  spot  halTovved  and 
endeared  to  them  for  ever  as  love's  confessional ;  but  before  they  left  it,  a 
keepsake  was  offered  and  accepted,  bemg  neither  more  nor  less  than  the 
poetical  missal  which  had  led  to  the  disclosure.  The  flutter  of  Grace's 
spirits  not  permitting  her  to  pay  the  intended  visit  at  the  Hall,  she  returned 
home,  escorted  by  Raby,  who  never  remembered  that  he  had  been  forbid- 
den to  go  to  Hawksley  till  he  stood  on  the  little  bridge,  in  his  way  back. 
As  he  stopped  to  rest,  and  gazed  downward  on  the  brook,  now  aCastilian 
one,  his  thoughts  flowed  into  verse,  and  thenceforward  the  first  leaf  in  his 
Walton  contained  a  poem,  which  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  copy. 

Still  glides  the  gentle  streamlet  on, 

With  shifiing  current  new  and  strange  ; 
The  water  that  was  here  is  gone. 

But  those  green  shadows  do  not  change. 

Serene,  or  ruffled  by  the  storm, 

On  present  waves,  as  on  the  past, 
The  mirror'd  grove  retains  its  form. 

The  self-same  trees  their  semblance  cast. 

The  hue  each  fleeting  globule  wears, 

That  drop  bequeaths  it  to  the  next, 
One  picture  still  the  surface  bears, 

To  illustrate  the  murmur'd  text. 

iSo,  love,  however  time  may  flow. 

Fresh  hours  pursuing  those  that  flee, 
One  constant  image  still  shall  show,       j 

My  tide  of  life  is  true  to  thee.    ^.'--'' 

Having  wound  up  these  lines  instead  of  his  fishing  ones,  he  returned  to 
ti.fi  Hall,  where  an  exchange  of  prisoners  had  taken  place  during  his  ab- 
sence. Mrs.  Hamilton  was  walking  in  the  garden ;  the  Creole  was  gone 
oi^t  for  a  ride;  and  Ringwood  had  previously  cantered  off  towards  Hol- 
iington,  with  an  anxiety  all  his  own,  as  to  the  convalescence  of  the  Head 
of  tlie  Hive.  In  lieu  of  all  these,  Squire  Ned  was  sitting  in  the  drawing- 
loom,  iSt'>a-t6te  with  the  Baronet ;  the  worthy  friends  being  deeply  encrao-- 
ed  \(\  th-;  same  pastime  as  those  celebrated  Irish  gamesters, 

The  Trout  and  the  Salmon 
A-playing  Backgammon. 

Luckily  for  our  Piscator  the  interest  of  the  throws  with  the  dice  quite 

superseded  the  ineflfectual  ones  he  had  made  with  the  May-fly,  and  the 

unsuccessful  issue  only  drew  from  his  father  one  protracted  reinark.     "  I 

do  n't  wonder  in  the  least —  tray-deuce — It  would  surprise  me  a  deal  more 

7—3 


142  TILNEY    HALL. 

—  cinque-ace  —  if  he  brought  home  even  a  stickle-back  or  a  miller's- 
thumb — sizes.  —  Egad!  the  fellow's  head  has  got  so  bookish  and  wool- 
gathering—  tray-cater  — I  should  n't  stare  to  see  him  some  day — tray-ace 

—  with  a  jack  upon  his  hook,  trying  to  catch  a  minnow;  —  the  hit,  by 
Jove!" 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Come,  bustle,  bustle,  caparison  my  horse. 


King  Richard  hi. 


A  blow  !  Have  I  received  a  blow  ?  — 'T  is  well. 

I  Ml  not  return  it  now  ;   but  put  it  out  ^    . 

To  interest— compound  — inieiest  on  interest, 

At  most  usurious  rate  ;  this  single  buffet 

Shall  grow  to  scores  before  it  be  repaid, 

And  then,  like  Nature's  debt,  shall  be  discharged, 

Death  sealing  the  acquittance. 

Roger  Moncktok. 

The  arrival  of  the  Squire,  as  stated  in  the  last  chapter,  had  the  eiTect  oi 
releasing  the  weary  satellites  who  had  been  in  attendance  on  the  gouty 
Baronet.  Ringwood  was  the  first  to  avail  himself  of  the  opportunity :  as 
soon  as  his  father  and  Ned  had  well  settled  down  to  their  game,  he  joyfully 
threw  down  the  pen  from  his  cramped  fingers,  and  made  his  way  to  the 
stable,  his  temper  not  a  httle  turned  by  the  penance  and  task-work  he  liad 
been  undergoing,  as  well  as  by  the  imagined  insult  of  St.  Kitts,  who  had 
seemed  to  watch  his  compulsory  penmanship  with  a  malicious  pleasure.  In 
this  wayward  mood  he  determined  to  break  through  the  taboo  which  had 
made  Hollington  a  forbidden  spot,  and  calling  to  the  first  groom  he  saw, 
he  desired  him  to  saddle  his  horse  instantly. 

"If  you  please,  sir,"  said  the  man  j  "he's  amiss.  Dick  ordered  him  a 
warm  mash,  — 

Ringwood  immediately  hastened  to  the  loose-box  appropiated  to  his 
favourite,  where  he  carefully  smelt  his  nostrils,  coughed  him,  examined  his 
eyes,  and  felt  his  legs  with  the  gravity  and  skill  of  a  professed  veterinarian. 

"  It's  nothing,  Davis,  but  a  cold,"  he  said,  at  the  end  of  the  inspection, 
"but  I  won't  ride  him  to-day.  Saddle  Cadeau."  This  name  had  been 
bestowed  by  the  Creole  on  a  horse  his  uncle  had  lately  presented  to  him  in 
lieu  of  Uttle  Toby  Spitfire,  that  had  carried  him  when  a  boy. 

"  I  beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  the  man  —  "  but  Mr.  Walter  is  rather  particulai 
about  Cadeau,  —  he  lets  nobody  ride  him  but  himself" 

"I  will  try  that,"  answered  Ringwood,  contemptuously.  "If  he  in- 
dulges in  such  exclusive  fancies  here,  I  will  break  the  charm.  Mr.  Walter 
shall  trudge  a-foot,  rather  than  I  will  want  a  horse." 

"If  it's  no  offence,  sir,"  said  the  man,  "you  are  surely  joking.  There's 
plenty  of  horses  in  the  stables  —  Sorrel,  and  Roadster, —  or  the  cob  —  any 
one  of  'em  would  carry  you  every  bit  as  well  as  Cadeau." 

"  I  will  have  him  or  none,"  replied  the  headstrong  Ringwood  ;  "  so  bring 
him  out  at  once." 

The  man  made  no  further  objection,  but  proceeded  silently  to  obey  the 
command.  He  knew  that  the  young  Squire  had  been  always  accustomed 
to  have  his  own  way,  and  that' his  wilfulness,  like  that  of  a  spoiled  child, 
wou.d  only  be  aggravated  by  opposition.  In  a  few  minutes  Cadeau  waa 
saddled,  and  led  forth  :  "I  hope  sir,"  said  Davis,  as  he  delivered  the  bridle, 
"you  will  stand  my  excuse  to  Mr.  Walter.  I  don't  know  what  he  wilJ 
say.'* 


TYLNEY   H^L.  14t 

"  Let  him  say,  — "  answered  Rinpvood,  coolly  mounting  and  adjusting 
himself  in  the  stirrups.  "  If  he 's  insolent  I'll  transfer  the  bit  from  his  horse's 
mouth  into  his  own." 

So  saying  he  wheeled  the  animal  round,  and  trotted  out  of  the  stable- 
yard  ;  leavmg  Davis  staring  after  him,  so  absorbed  in  cogitation,  that  full 
five  minutes  elapsed  before  he  resumed  the  whistling  of  "  Nancy  Dawson," 
which  this  episode  had  interrupted. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Creole,  perfectly  unconscious  of  this  invasion  of  his 
rights  of  property,  willingly  consigned  his  unfortunate  drawing  to  the  port- 
folio, in  the  secret  hop:;  that  it  might  slumber  there  for  another  twelve- 
month ;  and  in  a  common  spirit  of  disobedience  to  the  Baronet's  injunc- 
tions, betook  himself  on  foot  to  the  forbidden  path  in  which  Raby  had  pre- 
ceded him,  towards  Hawksley.  He  had  not  gone  far  in  that  direction, 
when,  at  some  distance,  he  perceived  the  brown  woman  traversing  the  Park 
with  great  expedition  ;  she  also  recognised  him,  and  after  stopping  and 
looking  carefully  round,  altered  her  former  course,  and  came  swiftly  to 
meet  him.  As  she  approached,  he  could  hear  her  muttering  to  herself,  her 
face  was  flushed,  her  hands  and  arms  were  particularly  restless,  and  her 
step  seemed  sometimes  like  a  stamp. 

"  Walter  Tyrrel,''  she  said,  in  a  low  tone,  trembling  with  passion,  "pre- 
pare your  ears  for  a  tune  that  will  seemed  played  upon  your  heart-strings. 
The  election  is  over,  and  Raby  Tyrrel  is  in  the  chair,  and  his  cousin  can- 
didate on  the  ground." 

"  Speak  out  at  once,  woman,"  said  the  impatient  Creole  ;  "  I  am  in  no 
humour  for  unravelling  riddles." 

"  Briefly,  then,"  said  the  woman,  **  Grace  Rivers  has  made  her  choice. 
She  has  chosen  the  white  loaf,  and  leaves  the  brown  one  to  the  coarser 
taste  of  some  cottage  girl." 

"It  is  impossible,"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  hastily,  forgetful  of  his  own 
contumacy  ;  "  Sir  Mark  prohibited  his  going  to  Hawksley." 

"  Aye,  but  he  went  to  the  bridge  yonder,  and  she  met  him  there  ;  and  I 
am  mistaken  if  she  did  not  meet  him  half  way  in  love  to  boot.  But  no 
matter.  The  vow  is  vowed  ;  I  heard  it  uttered,  and  saw  it  sealed,  —  heart 
pressed  to  heart  —  and  lip  to  lip.  Yes,  Walter  Tyrrel,  I  saw  the  pale  face 
turn  to  carnation,  as  it  touched  with  hers  —  but  it  shall  be  whiter,  aye 
whiter  and  colder  ere  long,  or  I  am  no  prophetess  —  his  death  is  foredoom 
ed.     His  flesh  shall  feed  the  John-Crows  !" 

"  Or  mine,"  muttered  the  Creole^,  between  his  teeth;  "  he  shall  answef 
to  me  at  the  sword's  point,  for  thus  crossing  me  in  my  course." 

"Steel  shall  not  meddle,"  said  the  woman  ;  "  but  this  match  shall  be  bro- 
ken, if  hearts  should  break  with  it." 

"  Mine  is  stricken  to  the  core,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  deep-drawn 
sigh:  "  hope  cannot  beguile  me:  this  fresh  stroke  only  shows  me  my  un- 
fortunate position  in  the  world.  Had  Raby  never  been  called  mto  exis-' 
tence,  what  chance  was  there  for  me  —  a  being  of  doubtful  birth,  and  a  de- 
pendant." 

"  For  the  first  complaint,"  said  the  woman,  taking  a  packet  from  hei 
bosom  and  putting  it  into  his  hands,  "here  is  a  present  remedy  —  for  the 
cure  of  the  second  we  must  have  time  and  other  means.  Walter.Tyrrel,  be 
a  man  ;  or  would  you  sit  down  patiently  under  it,  wear  their  white  favours, 
and  put  a  piece  of  the  bride-cake  under  your  pillow  to  ensure  pleasant 
dreams  ?" 

"  Never  !"  cried  the  Creole,  violently  stamping  and  clenching  his  hands  : 
"  tell  me  —  directly  —  say  what  I  should  do,  and  it  shall  be  done." 

"  Do  nothing —  and  say  nothing  —  wish  only  for  revenge,  and  revenge 
shall  come — but  not,  Walter  Tyrrel,  from  your  hands,  ^l  will  think  for 
vou  —  feel  for  you  —  act  for  you  —  and  where  can  you  have  an  agent 


144  TYLNEY    liALL. 

more  devoted  than  one  who  is  all  but  a  mother?  One  who  will  not  shrink 
where  you  would  shrink,  nor  scruple  where  you  would  scruple.  My  creed 
does  not  bind  me  so  strictly  as  yours,  but  it  has  served  me  well  hitherto, 
and  it  may  serve  you  now.  Cluestion  me  not  —  doubt  me  not  —  what  I  do 
is  done  for  your  good  ;  what  is  to  be  endured  or  perilled  shall  be  at  my  own 
sole  risk." 

"I  will  submit  to  your  guidance,"  answered  the  Creole;  "  but  why  must 
I  w^alk  in  darkness  —  wliy  blindfolded  ?  1  would  rather  see  in  what  paths 
I  am  going,  and  whither  they  tend." 

"  Foolish  boy  !"  said  the  woman  ;  "where  should  they  tend  but  to  the 
fulfilment  of  the  bright  fortune  1  foretold  for  you?  When  Sir  Walter 
stands  at  the  altar  with  Grace  R,ivers  —  with  all  his  dearest  hopes  and 
wishes  fulfilled  —  will  he  care  to  ask  by  what  roads  he  arrived  there  ?  Be 
satisfied  that  the  way  shall  be  as  safe  as  the  end  is  sweet.  But  this  is  no 
place  for  us  to  be  seen  together.  Go  !  —  love  on,  for  your  love  shall  pros- 
per—  and  hate  on,  for  your  hatred  shall  triumph.  But  bear  yourself  fairly 
and  smoothly,  as  if  a  rival's  rash  vows  had  not  come  to  your  knowledge. 
In  the  mean  time  I  will  work  hard  to  earn  the  love  and  gratitude  which 
some  day  you  shall  render  me.     But  farewell  at  once." 

With  her  usual  celerity  she  departed,  directing  her  course  towards  a 
thicket,  in  which  she  soon  disappeared  ;  whilst  the  Creole  retraced  his  steps 
to  the  Hall  for  the  fear  of  encountering  Raby,  in  his  present  mood,  which 
would  certainly  have  led  to  an  explosion,  in  defiance  of  the  injunction  he 
had  received.  His  temper  still  possessed  the  tropical  fire  which  his  father 
had  alluded  to  on  his  death-bed  ;  and  though  he  had  learned  to  restrain  it  for 
purposes  of  artifice,  the  sight  of  a  successful  rival  might  have  inflamed  it 
beyond  his  control.  Moreover,  he  was  impatient  to  examine  the  important 
packet  he  had  received,  and  stealing  into  the  Hall  by  a  back  way,  he" ran  up 
to  his  own  bedroom,  fastened  the  door,  and  hastily  broke  the  seal  of  the  en- 
velope. The  first  paper  purported  to  be  a  certificate  of  marriage,  between 
Herbert  Tyrrel  and  Indiana  Thurot,  attested  by  the  signatures  of  the  prin- 
cipal authorities  of  St.  Christopher's  ;  the  unusual  alliance  between  a  white 
man  and  a  woman  of  colour  apparently  requiring  the  evidence  of  an  espe- 
cial document.  The  other  two  papers  were  letters  ;  one  from  Colonel  Tyr- 
rel, addressing  the  said  Indiana  as  his  wife,  and  containing  the  most  ardent 
expressions  of  admiration  and  attachment ;  the  other  was  addressed  to  the 
husband  by  the  wife ;  and  after  similar  outpourings  of  love,  broke  into  a 
warm  eulogy  of  the  devotion,  tenderness,  and  attachment  of  one  Margue- 
rite as  the^fostennother  of  their  dear  Walter.  Every  lingering  doubt  in 
the  Creole's  mind  was  removed  by  the  perusal  of  these  papers  ;  and  he  re- 
solved to  resign  himself  implicitly  to  the  guidance  of  the  woman,  in  whose 
favour  his  parent  had  given  such  honourable  testimony.  He  was  now  in 
possession  of  the  inestimable  document  which  made  him  invulnerable  to  the 
taunts  of  Ringwood,  and  he  confidently  anticipated  that  in  the  rivalship 
with  Raby,  his  own  star  would  become  the  ascendant. 

"  So  then,"  he  soliloquized,  "the  reproach  of  my  birth  is  removed  ;  that 
sting  will  still  be  aimed  at  me,  but  it  has  lost  its  venom  ;  and  the  oftener 
the  msult  is  offered,  the  more  ample  and  bitter  will  be  its  retracting  hereaf- 
ter. I  am  now  Ringwood's  equal  in  all  but  his  expectations  —  but  no  —  if 
Maro-uerite  reads  fate  aright,  mine  are  loftier  than  his  —  the  heirship  of  Tyl- 
neyHall  and  the  hand  of  Grace  Rivers.  That  bookish  Raby  too— let 
him   exult— the  brightest  hopes   of  the   two   brothers  are  absorbed   m 

mine."  ••    u-    j    i 

So  saying,  he  kissed  the  important  packet,  and  deposited  it  in  his  desk  ; 
and  with  a'^prouder  step  and  a  haughtier  air  than  the  dependent  St  Kitts 
had  ever  been  known  to  assume,  he  descended  the  stairs,  and  stalked  off  to 
the  stable,  for  it  still  wanted  two  hours  of  dinner-time,  and  he  chose  rather 


TYLNEY    HALL.  145 

to  ride  out  alone  than  to  spend  the  interim  in  the  drawing-room.     He  ad- 
dressed the  groom  in  a  peremptory  tone  that  matched  with  his  humour. 

"  Saddle  Cadeau,  feliow,  and  be  quick." 

"  Cadeau —  Sir," — said  the  man,  hesitating  and  stammering,  as  if  each 
word  was  jolted  out  of  him  by  a  hard-trotting  horse.  "Cadeau  —  Sir  — 
did  you  say  — Cadeau  ?" 

"Yes,  Ibol,"  answered  the  Creole,  "You  know  my  horse,  don't  you? 
duick,  bring  him  out." 

"  I  can't,"  rephud  Davis  doggedly  ;  at  the  same  time  resuming  the  clean- 
ing of  some  harness  which  he  held  in  his  hand. 

"And  why  not,  you  scoundrel?"  asked  St.  Kitts,  who  never  conde- 
scended to  restrain  his  temper  with  a  menial. 

"  Because  he  is  out ;"  r-^turned  Davis,  with  the  quiet  tone  of  a  man  who 
is  giving  a  reason  perfectly  urrinsweral  le.  "Brown  Bastard  is  amiss,  and 
so  the  young  Squire  has  taken  Cadeau." 

"  What,  Ringvvood  !"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  bursting  into  an  ungovernable 
passion  ;  "  what !  take  my  horse  —  without  my  leave —  without  apology — 
tell  me,  rascal,  did  he  leave  no  message  for  me,  when  he  took  this  liberty?" 

"  Never  a  word.  Sir,"  answered  Davis,  "  if  you  mean  in  the  way  of 
begging  pardon." 

''  No  doubt,"  said  the  Creole,  "it  was  more  likely  a  new  insult  than  an 
apology  for  the  old.  Villain  I"  shaking  his  clenched  hand  at  the  other,  "  I 
insist  upon  knowing  what  he  said  —  the  very  words  that  he  used." 

"  Why,  then,  if  you  will  have  it,  Sir,"  answered  Davis,  giving,  as  ser- 
vants are  apt  to  do,  a  rather  free  paraphrase  of  the  original  version,  "  he 
said,  if  you  made  a  fuss  about  )'ourhorse,  he'd  saddle  you,  and  bridle  you, 
and  ride  upon  your  own  back." 

The  Creole  made  no  answer ;  but  his  blood  boiled  at  the  disparaging 
terms  thus  delivered  :  he  took  several  angry  turns  up  and  down,  muttering 
fiercely  to  himself ;  and,  at  last,  stopping  short  in  front  of  Davis,  with  his 
face  almost  in  that  of  the  affrighted  groom,  he  said,  in  a  deep  imperative 
tone,  "  Saddle  his  own  horse  immediately." 

"For  God's  sake,  Mr.  Walter,"  began  poor  Davis  ;  but  the  Creole  cut 
him  short  by  sternly  asking  "  whether  he  was  to  do  a  groom's  duty  with  his 
own  hands  ;''  and  with  a  deep  sigh  of  reluctance,  the  man  proceeded  on 
his  ominous  task.  Devoutly  did  he  pray  for  the  return  of  Brown  Bastard's 
master,  before  the  favourite  could  be  mounted ;  and  he  wisped,  and 
sponged,  and  combed,  and  brushed,  and  trifled  witli  the  stirrups,  and  dallied 
with  the  girths,  till  a  volley  of  oaths  from  St.  Kitts  proved  that  his  patience 
would  bear  no  more  stretching. 

"  Remember,  Sir,  I  wash  my  hands  of  it,"  said  the  foreboding  Davis,  aa 
he  took  his  place  at  the  horse's  head  ;  but  the  West  Indian  made  no  an- 
swer; he  seized  the  bridle,  setting  himself  in  the  saddle,  and  scornfully 
dashed  the  rowels  into  the  flanks  of  the  steed,  as  if  he  had  been  plantmg 
thorns  in  the  side  of  its  owner. 

The  gallop  never  slacked  as  far  as  Davis  could  keep  him  in  sight.  In 
fact,  the  excited  rider  had  gone  half  way  to  HoUington  before  he  pulled  up  ; 
then,  for  the  first  time,  he  remembered  the  brown  woman's  advice,  that  he 
should  conduct  himself  fairly  and  smoothly  towards  his  cousins,  and  he 
blamed  his  own  precipitation,  which  would  probably  involve  him  in  a  quar- 
rel too  serious  to  be  concealed  from  Sir  Mark,  who  might  recall  the  opinion 
he  had  formerly  entertained  of  his  nephew's  moderation  and  forbearance. 
Besides,  an  ultimate  and  full  revenge  had  been  promised  in  atonement  of 
whatever  slights  or  offences  he  might  endure  at  the  hands  of  Ringwood, 
and  the  most  politic  course  would  be  to  return  with  the  horse  to  the  stable, 
and  to  bribe  Davis  to  secrecy.  But  it  was  now  too  late  :  at  the  very  instant, 
while  he  was  in  the  act  of  turning,  Ringwood  appeared  in  the  lane  ;  his 
G 


146  TYLNEY    HALL. 

quick  eye  detected  his  favourite  at  a  glance,  and  in  a  twinkling  the  two 
horsemen  confronted  each  other. 

"  St.  Kitts  —  how  is  this  —  how  dared  you  ?"  Ringwood  added  in  a  fierce 
tone,  as  he  noticed  the  distressed  panting  of  the  cherished  animal. 

"  I  am  not  fond  of  lying  under  obhgations  to  Ringwood  Tyrrel,"  replied 
the  Creole,  with  as  calm  a  tone  as  he  could  assume,  "  and  I  should  never 
have  thought  of  borrowing  his  horse,  if  he  had  not  previously  deprived  me 
of  my  own  by  a  forced  loan." 

"His  wind  is  broken,"  exclaimed  Ringwood;  "dismount,  d — n  you, 
dismount  instantly,  or  I  '11  unhorse  you  —  get  down,  I  say,"  —  and  he  reined 
up  his  own  horse  alongside  the  other. 

"Let  those  who  were  the  first  to  mount,  set  the  example  of  dismounting," 
answered  the  Creole,  warily  holding  his  whip  so  as  to  be  ready  to  parry  a 
blow,  if  such  should  be  offered. 

"Down,  I  say — down  at  once,"  cried  Ringvi'ood,  his  voice  choking 
with  passion,  "  that  saddle  is  mine,  and  a  bastard  shall  not  sit  in  it." 

"Bastard  in  your  teeth,"  retorted  the  Creole,  irritated  for  the  moment  be- 
yond prudence  ;   "  my  mother  was  a  mate  for  yours." 

At  t,his  degrading  comparison,  for  so  the  hearer  considered  it,  his  eyes 
flashed  fire,  and  his  whip  rose  and  fell.  Mutual  blows  were  exchanged 
with  the  quickness  of  thought,  till  Ringwood,  dropping  his  whip,  seized  the 
collar  of  kSt.  Kitts,  and  striking  Cadcau  with  the  spur  at  tlie  same  time,  the 
Creole  was  suddenly  dragged  over  his  horse's  crupper,  and  fell  backward 
in  the  road.  Luckily  the  spirit  of  the  high-couraged  animal  had  been  taken 
out  of  him,  or  his  rider  might  have  suflTered  some  serious  injury  from  the 
fall ;  as  it  was,  the  shock  stunned  him ;  and  when  he  recovered  and  rose 
up  again,  he  saw  Ringwood  seated  in  the  saddle  from  which  he  had  been 
thus  violently  expelled. 

"  You  shall  rue  this  dearly,"  he  said,  with  a  menacing  gesture,  "  I 
will  have  satisfaction  for  this  insult,  and  when  you  fall,  you  shall  not  rise 
again  as  I  do." 

"  If  you  mean  blades  or  bullets,"  answered  Ringwood  contemptuously, 
*'  they  belong  to  your  betters  —  a  barn-door  cock  has  no  right  to  steel  spurs. 
As  for  satisfaction,  all  that  a  naked  hand  and  arm  can  give,  you  are  wel- 
come to."  With  the  last  syllable,  the  speaker  put  his  horse  into  a  trot,  and 
left  St.  Kitts,  shaking  the  dust  off  his  person,  fervently  hoping  that  the  act 
would  bring  a  curse  upon  his  enemy  as  surely  as  was  promised  to  the  Old 
Apostles.  Bitter  and  deep  were  the  imprecations  he  uttered  as  he  mounted 
Cadeau,  and  rode  slowly  towards  the  Hall ;  but  when  he  entered  the  ave- 
nue, and  perceived  Ringwood  riding  along  it  at  a  foot's  pace,  that  he  might 
leisurely  look  about  him,  his  lips  curled  into  a  scornful  smile. 

"  There  he  goes  triimiphing,"  he  said  mentally,  —  "  forestalling  his  heir- 
ship no  doubt —  and  looking  on  house  and  lands  as  if  they  were  already  his 
own.  Yes,  these  are  Sir  Rlngvvood's  old  chesnuts,  and  these  are  his  tall 
oaks  —  and  yonder  are  Sir  Ringwood's  deer,  and  this  is  his  ample  park,  and 
that  is  his  noble  mansion.  And  what  are  the  possessions  of  poor  Walter 
Tyrrel  ?  An  opprobrious  nickname,  —  a  disgraced  body, — the  clothes  I 
wear,  and  the  horse  I  ride — nay,  that  is  Sir  Ringwood's  too,  when  he  so 
pleases.  I  am  a  poor  dependant,  —  rejected,  insulted,  outraged,  and  beaten 
—  beaten  like  one  of  his  father's  hounds  !  Aye,  there  's  a  caracole  — what  a 
flourish  before  he  dismounts  —  and  how  lordly  he  ascends  the  steps  of  the 
Hall,  —  but  shall  it  ever  be  his  ?  —  never,  never,  never.  The  door  that  is 
now  opening  to  him  will  close  behind  his  corpse.  Yes,  Walter  Tyrrel  will 
be  Hving  and  loving,  while  the  eye  that  scorned  him  shall  be  closed  in  lead, 
the  tongue  that  slandered  him  shall  be  choked  with  dust,  the  heart  that 
hated  him  shall  be  food  for  worms,  and  the  accursed  arm  that  struck  him 
ehall  be  rotting  from  its  carcass." 


TYLNEY   HALL.  147 

Since  the  sunrise,  the  owner  of  this  reverie  had  met  with  various  and  vexa- 
tious reverses :  he  had  been  thwarted  in  his  love,  invaded  in  his  rights, 
grossly  insulted,  and  personally  dishonoured  ;  but  through  all  the  gloom  of 
these  reflections  his  foster-mother's  prediction  shone  out  as  in  letters  of  fire  ; 
and  the  bitter  pangs  caused  by  unrequited  wrongs,  degraded  honour,  and 
dissatisfied  resentment,  were  considerably  abated,  when  he  regarded  the 
human  figure  before  him  as  a  mere  mass  of  mortal  carrion,  over  which  he 
should  have  to  exclaim,  "how  sweetly  smells  the  body  of  a  dead  enemy." 

By  what  means,  fair  or  foul,  he  was  to  arrive  at  this  consummation,  he 
could  scarcely  guess  ;  but  to  describe  honestly  the  workings  of  his  mind  it^ 
must  be  owned  that  unnatural  causes  became  conjoined  with  natural  ones 
in  his  surmises,  and  he  entertained  dark  and  dangerous  ideas,  which  recoil- 
ed indeed,  but  only  to  leap  further,  and  still  further  onwards,  like  the  waves 
of  the  advancing  tide.  To  suppose  those  waves  sometimes  tinged  with  the 
blood-red  of  a  stormy  sun  would  but  too  faitiifully  denote  the  occasional 
complexion  of  his  tumultuous  thoughts,  when  the  imperious  demands  of  re- 
venge became  transiently  paramount  over  holier  claims.  It  is  true  that  he 
dismissed  the  first  sanguinary  scheme  as  soon  as  formed  ;  but  the  Cain-like 
suggestion,  once  admitted  into  the  human  heart,  is  apt  to  become  a  haunt- 
ing one  ;  and  as  the  air-drawn  dagger  in  Macbeth  was  only  dispelled  by 
the  clutching  of  the  real  weapon,  so  a  shadowy  tragedy  will  preoccupy  the 
mind's  eye,  which  is  only  to  be  superseded  by  the  substantial  performance. 
The  Creole,  therefore,  to  his  alarm,  found  his  cogitations  taking  a  repug 
nant  turn,  which  produced  a  natural  shudder;  but,  in  spite  of  himself 
these  direful  promptings  became  more  and  more  frequent,  and  consequently 
less  startling  and  horrible,  till  finally  their  attendant  phantoms  became  fa- 
miliar images,  which  as  they  came  unbidden  were  allowed  to  remain  or  de- 
part of  their  own  accord.  As  yet  he  was  only  revolving  in  the  outer  verge 
without  making  any  apparent  approach  towards  the  fatal  centre  of  a  vortex, 
from  which,  however,  few  are  able  to  escape,  who  have  once  entered  in  tha 
sinful  circle.  It  would  seem  that  to  think  of  blood  is  to  shed  it ;  so  cer- 
tainly does  the  crime  succeed  its  shadow.  The  man  who  once  casts  hig 
eyes  towards  murder  is  thenceforward  drawn  towards  it,  like  the  bird  fasci- 
nated by  the  snake,  still  trembling,  but  still  hopping  nearer  and  nearer  to 
the  object  of  its  dread,  till  it  falls  into  its  fangs.  In  the  gloomy  calendar  of 
deadly  violence  this  principle  is  frequently  obvious:  the  cruel  deed  is  at  last 
perpetrated,  not  simply  to  indulge  the  yearnings  of  revenge,  or  the  hanker- 
ing for  gold,  but  to  rid  the  wretch  from  the  intolerable  sway  of  a  tyrannical 
absorbing  thought — which  had  gi-adually  overgrown  his  whole  mind  with 
the  torture  and  tenacity  of  a  cancer.  Witness  the  struggles  of  Matthew 
Henderson,  who  murdered  his  mistress.  Several  times  he  mounted-  the 
stairs  towards  her  chamber,  and  as  often  descended  with  human  compunc- 
tion. But  the  diabolical  suggestion  was  not  to  be  silenced  ;  —  at  each  new 
attempt  it  urged  him  a  degree  further,  till  step  by  step  he  at  last  attained  the 
bed,  and  the  imperious  impulse  was  drowned  in  the  blood  of  its  victim. 

In  the  first  stage  of  this  awful  progression,  the  Creole  might  be  consider- 
ed as  now  moving,  though  at  a  pace  scarcely  perceptible  :  it  depended  on 
Marguerite's  own  plans,  whether  he  was  to  be  made  actor  or  accomplice  in 
any  deeds  of  violence  ;  but  if  such  were  in  contemplation,  she  had  certainly 
succeeded  in  placing  him  in  that  initiatory  state  of  preparation,  through 
which  a  novice  m  blood  must  generally  pass.  The  seed  she  had  scattered 
had  fallen  on  congenial  soil;  and  the  evil  passions  of  hatred,  jealousy,  and 
envy,  had  sprung  up  rapidly  into  growth,  hke  rank  weeds,  whose  veins  are 
611ed  with  malignant  juices,  obnoxious  to  human  life.  Nevertheless,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  line  of  policy  laid  down,  he  smoothed  his  brow,  Hxnd  discarded 
his  frowns,  as  he  re-entered  the  Hall,  where,  after  repairing  some  disorder 
in  his  dress,  in  his  own  chamber,  he  descended  to  the  drawing-room  just  as 


148  TYLNEY   HALL. 

Ringwood  extorted  from  Raby  some  particulars  of  his  success  in  fishing — 
with  the  confession  of  the  loss  of  his  rod,  which,  as  the  ownership  of  the  im- 
plement was  a  point  of  some  interest,  he  was  especially  requested  to  de- 
scribe. 

*'  I  took  the  first  that  came  to  hand,"  answered  Raby  :  "  a  dark-coloured 
one,  I  think,  with  silver  studs  on  the  butt-end." 

"My  own  troUing-rod!"  exclaimed  St.  Kitts, — his  equanimity  some- 
what disturbed  by  this  new  appropriation  —  "it  was  a  Cadeau,  too;" 
glancing  at  Ringwood,  "  a  gift  from  Woodley,  of  Maudlin's  ;  but  I  beg  my 
kind  cousins  to  consider  nothing  of  mine  as  my  own  when  they  have  a  use 
for  it." 

'•Spoken  like  a  generous,  free-going  fellow," said  the  Baronet,  having 
just  gammoned  his  adversary  —  "  that 's  what  I  call  good  action.  Book  it, 
St.  Kitts,  that  I  owe  you  the  best  fishing-rod  to  be  had  between  London 
and  John  o'  Groat's.  It  does  me  good  to  see  you  hold  so  together,  instead 
of  fl^nng  off,"  here  he  smiled,  "  like  Raby's  top-joint." 

This  good-humoured  speech  had  its  due  effect  on  the  brothers  and  St. 
Kitts  ;  and  the  latter  especially  adopted  a  tone  of  courtesy  towards  his  cou- 
eins  that  was  well  calculated  to  hide  his  real  feelings,  whilst  Ringwood  pur- 
sued the  same  course,  like  parties  engaged  to  meet  each  other  in  mortal 
duel,  but  who  felt  it  expedient  in  the  mean  time  to  preserve  appearances. 

By  favour  of  this  guarded  intercourse,  the  day  passed  over  quietly,  but 
the  thoughts  which  St.  Kitts  had  banished  and  staved  off  in  company,  revi- 
sited him  in  the  night.  At  one  time,  in  the  character  of  Death  on  the  Black 
Horse,  he  rode  over  the  prostrate  Ringwood ;  and  then,  filling  the  holy 
office  of  Vicar,  as  a  substitue  for  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cobb,  he  read  the  marriage 
service  backwards,  and  the  Devil  appeared  bodily  to  forbid  the  banns  of 
marriage  betw^een  Raby  Tyrrel  and  Grace  Rivers.  Anon  the  brown  wo- 
man appeared  to  him  transfigured  as  one  of  those  ambulatory  sextons  with 
a  cart  and  bell,  as  described  in  Defoe's  History  of  the  Plague,  exclaiming 
with  a  loud  voice,  "Bring  out  your  dead,"  and  the  livid  corpses  of  the  Ba- 
ronet and  his  sons,  and  of  Davis,  along  with  the  carcasses  of  two  horses, 
were  cast  out  as  part  of  the  lading  of  the  miscellaneous  hearse.  Other  ima- 
ges, still  more  incongruous  and  fantastic,  gradually  crowded  into  his  vi- 
sion, and  when  he  woke  in  the  morning,  it  was  from  a  spectral  congrega- 
tion of  frightful  demons,  accompanied  by  one  fair  face  and  form,  like  the 
apparition  of  Faust's  Margaret  at  the  Witches'  Sabbath,  in  the  Hartz 
Mountains. 

A  short  time  after  the  occurrences  recorded  in  this  chapter,  the  three  col- 
legians returned  to  Oxford,  one  of  them  secretly  wearing  in  his  bosom  a 
lock  of  bright  auburn  hair,  to  remind  him  that  he  was  destined  to  an  hono- 
rary degree  beyond  that  of  a  bachelor.  By  special  agreement,  they  were 
to  return  from  the  University  to  be  present  at  the  f/ite  champetre  at  Holling- 
ton,  if  it  should  happen  to  be  appointed  to  take  place  during  term.  A  great 
deal  of  amusement  was  anticipated  by  all  parties  at  this  festival ;  and  even 
Grace  Rivers  suddenly  changed  her  mind  about  visiting  the  Twiggs,  and 
declared  that,  if  invited,  she  should  make  a  point  of  being  present  at  their 
rural  gala. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  149 


CHAPTEil  XXVTII. 

Sure  such  a  day  war  never  seen. — 


Tom  Thumb, 


The  day, 
The  great,  the  important  day,  big  with  the  fete,— 

Cato. 

You  have  now  a  broken  banquet,  but  we'll  mend  it. 
A  pood  digestion  to  you  all ;  and  once  more 
I  shower  a  welcome  on  you  ;  welcome  all. — 

Henry  VIII. 

At  last,  after  several  postponements,  the  welcome  letter  came  to  hand, 
permitting  Twigg,  junior,  to  exchange  the  hardware  of  business  for  the 
soft  ware  of  pleaslire,  the  age  of  iron  for  the  age  of  gold,  by  repairing  from 
London  to  HoUington,  in  order  to  be  present  at  the  rural  jubilee  at  the 
Hive,  or,  as  the  epistle  described  it,  "  the  grand  to-do  out  of  doors." 

The  preparation  for  pleasure  is  sometimes  a  very  painful  interval ;  a  sort 
of  purgatory  preceding  paradise.  As  theatrical  adepts  well  know,  the  get- 
ting up  of  a  pantomime  is  quite  as  serious  a  business  as  the  rehearsal  of  a 
tragedy  :  a  spectator  of  its  preliminary  workings  would  never  conceive 
that  the  product  was  to  be  that  broadest  of  broad  faces,  the  Christmas  Fes- 
tival in  honour  of  Momus.  Instead  of  a  fairy-land,  inhabited  by  Love,  and 
Beauty,  and  Mirth,  the  area  of  the  stage  appears  but  a  nook  of  this  work- 
ing-day world,  equally  subject  to  Care,  Labour,  Jealousy,  Envy,  Rage, 
Terror,  and  Disappomtment.  Instead  of  the  brisk  bounding  Harlequin,  a 
jaded  morose  mortal  lounges  about  the  boards,  walking  tiirough  his  capers 
—  literally  taking  his  leaps  standing,  and  giving  a  brief  nod  for  a  roll  of 
the  head.  A  weary  and  wan  Columbine,  with  the  same  scornful  indiffer- 
ence, drags  lazily  through  her  appointed  figure,  and  then  concluding  with 
the  ghost  of  a  pirouette,  leans  sulkily  against  a  side  scene,  and  like  a  Pha- 
risee in  petticoats,  disdainfully  compares  the  deficiencies  of  the  rest  with 
her  own  perfection.  The  Clown,  an  indifferent  scholar,  painfully  puzzles 
out  his  written  part,  with  a  vexed  brow,  a  sleepy  eye,  and  a  most  dogged 
mouth  ;  as  rueful  and  forlorn  a  figure  to  expect  quips  and  cranks  from,  as 
the  skull  of  poor  Yorick.  The  very  Fairies,  delayed  in  their  aerial  descent 
by  some  hitch  in  the  machinery,  hang  dangling  aloft  with  faces  full  of  ter- 
ror and  pain,  while  by  frequent  changes  of  posture,  they  hint  to  maternal 
anxiety,  that  their  darling  little  limbs  are  horribly  cramped  by  sitting  on 
wooden  clouds.  The  Sylphs  scream  from  flight,  and  Cupid  whimpers 
with  hunger.  All  is  noise  and  hubbub  ;  for  Pope's  rule  of  optimism  is  re- 
versed —  Whatever  is,  is  xorong.  Nature  stands  on  her  head  instead  of  the 
Clown,  and  capers  and  throws  somersets,  till  her  phenomena  are  all  topsy- 
turvy. Skies  fall,  water  will  not  find  its  level,  and  the  moon  silvers  the 
trees  with  a  blood-red  light;  the  thunder  runs  a  race  with  the  lightning 
and  gets  first.  Unnatural  connexions  take  place  amongst  the  scenery,  and 
produce  monsters.  A  view  of  Regent  Street,  by  new  laws  of  attraction, 
draws  towards  a  section  of  a  Storm  at  Sea,  and  Ben  Lomond  is  capped,  not 
with  a  cloud,  but  a  stack  of  chimneys.  Articles  that  ought  to  transform, 
adopt  the  code  of  the  Aledes  and  Persians,  and  resolutely  refuse  to  change. 
Ropes  break,  hinges  snap,  water  catches  fire,  and  gunpowder  does  not  ig- 
nit»  ;  spirits  will  not  come  when  they  are  invoked,  but  the  military  march 
on,  illegally,  without  being  called  in.  Blunder  begets  blunder  with  the  fe- 
cundity of  the  rabbit,  till  the  boarded  plain,  the  heights  above,  and  tlie  caverns 


50  TTLNEY  HALL. 

below,  are  swarming  with  the  awkward  headlong  progeny,  blind  as  at  their 
birtli.  Tlio  property  man  is  bellowed  for,  and  a  tailor  responds  to  the  cry; 
he  is  dismissed  with  a  flea  in  each  tingling  ear,  and  testily  sends  down  a 
carpenter,  who  makes  tlie  same  April  fool  of  a  painter,  who  thereupon 
catches  the  call-boy  by  the  nape,  and  shakes  him  like  a  ferret  with  a  rat, 
which  provokes  call-boy's  father  to  resent  with  a  punch,  and  the  lie  direct, 
as  to  his  call-boy  having  called.  Oaths  palter,  and  blows  go  round.  Every 
living  beino;  seems  reciting  some  part  of  CoUins's  Ode  on  the  Passions 
with  appropriate  action, 

Exulting,  trembling,  raging,  fainting, 
Possess'd  beyond  tiie  Muse's  painting. 

Here  an  indignant  dioramist  raves  at  a  boggling  scene-shifter  ;  there  the 
enraged  machinist  knocks  down  a  fuddled  carpenter's  mate.  In  front  a 
frantic  composer  storms  and  stamps  at  an  unmanageable  fiddler;  in  the  back 
groundan  impatient  Pantaloon  clamours  about  a  misfit,  —  meanwhile  the 
three  Unities  put  the  same  question  as  the  three  Witches  in  Macbeth, 
"When  shall  we  three  meet  again?"  and  receive  the  same  answer, — 
"  When  the  hurley-burley  's  done." 

In  the  midst  of  this  dramatic  storm,  the  author  of  the  pantomine  runs  to 
and  fro,  and  bellows  till  he  is  as  hoarse  as  a  boatswain,  now  through  a  speak- 
ing trumpet  to  the  men  aloft,  and  then  throwing  himself  prostrate  on  the 
boards,  to  send  an  order  into  the  hold.  Anon  he  sits  down,  on  any  thing 
but  the  chair  that  is  placed  for  him,  but  jumps  up  again,  as  if  from  a  Ger- 
■man  stove,  and  rushes  to  clear  the  deck  of  a  deafening  chorus,  perversely 
ignorant  of  the  memorable  motto  of  Ravenswood,  "  I  bide  my  time." 
Then  a  dilatory  workman  is  cursed  by  bell,  book,  and  candle,  but  he  stops 
short  to  pronounce  a  benedicite  on  a  fluttering  band  of  affrighted  dwarfs, 
who  are  taking  his  malediction  to  themselves.  Sometimes  he  helps  to  lift 
a  cloud,  or  props  a  house  with  all  his  might ;  sometimes  he  is  seen  bullying 
a  dragon  or  kicking  a  giant,  —  extinguisliing  a  moon  on  fire,  —  acting  in 
dumb  show  for  example,  —  scrambling  up  a  ladder,  —  hauling  at  a  rope, 
—  tumbling  over  a  crocodile,  —  at  last,  quite  rampant,  swearing  at  all  eyes 
and  tearing  his  own  hair,  he  very  probably  makes  a  sudden  exit  through  a 
forgotten  trap-door. 

To  see  a  pantomime  in  this  stage,  is  hke  getting  a  glimpse  of  Chaos. 

For  some  days  previous  to  the  fete,  the  Hive  presented  a  similar  scene 
of  hurry,  scurry,  worry,  and  flurry.  As  usual,  Twigg  interfered  in  every 
thing;  and  his  voice,  like  that  of  the  Christmas  spectacle-maker,  was 
heard  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  swearing,  entreating,  threatening,  exhort- 
ing, directing,  or  disputing  with  his  wife  and  daughter  on  matters  of  taste. 
Never  in  the  days  of  his  industry  had  he  laboured  so  unremittingly,  so  early 
and  so  late :  he  really  slaved  bodily  like  a  negro,  while  Pompey,  the  true 
nigger,  was  set  to  work  on  matters  far  surpassing  the  dim  intelligence  of 
an  African  brain  ;  the  most  provoking  blunders  naturally  followed,  and  the 
olack,  as  might  have  been  expected  from  one  of  his  complexion,  "  played 
the  very  devil."  Many  a  tumble  he  had  over  the  numerous  packages  from 
London  which  encumbered  the  floors  and  the  tables,  the  stairs  and  the 
chairs.  It  was  well  the  Hive  did  not  happen  to  be  a  glass  one,  such  as 
those  which  invite  the  spectator  to  observe  the  wonderful  order,  harmony, 
regularity,  and  exact  distribution  of  labour,  evinced  by  its  busy  inhabitants*. 
Indeed,  the  House  of  Industry  much  more  resembled  a  wasp's  nest,  where 
the  peevish  swarm  were  all  restless  and  irritated  by  some  resent  disturb- 
ance. Every  body  was  out  of  humour.  Mrs.  Tvvigg  scolded  and  wept 
by  turns,  and  threatened  to  faint,  but  had  not  time  to  spare  for  fits  ;  and  the 
cook  fumed  and  broiled  at  her  mistress's  cuUnary  interference.    The  coach- 


TYLNEY    HALL.  15| 

man  sulkily  helped  in  the  kitchen,  to  whip  cream  instead  of  horses.  The 
butler  quarrelled  with  the  footmen  ;  and  the  housemaids  among  them- 
selves. The  gardener  growled  and  grumbled  while  he  transported  his  hot- 
house plants  into  the  open  air,  cropped  all  his  choicest  buds  and  blossoms 
to  make  bouquets  and  fill  baskets,  nor  did  it  make  him  amends  for  his  real 
flowers,  to  see  artificial  ones  in  wreaths  and  festoons  decorating  his  favour- 
ite "  old  statues,"  so  that  Mercury  looked  as  if  he  was  going  to  dance  in  a 
ballet,  and  Neptune  as  if  he  had  just  come  from  Covent  Garden,  The 
grooms  grew  weary  of  galloping  express  on  coach-horses,  as  the  jealous 
~  tradespeople  of  the  village  tardily  executed,  or  altogether  neglected,  the 
stray  orders  for  forgotten  articles  which  they  grumbled  "  had  better  have 
been  had  down  from  London  like  the  rest."  To  crown  the  confusion,  the 
cub  arrived  full  of  boisterous  spirits,  and  began  to  amuse  himself  with  a 
whole  flock  of  larks,  a  phrase  ^hdl  indicated  those  practical  jokes,  in  which 
persons  of  limited  capacity  ale  so  apt  to  indulge.  He  locked  the  butler  in 
his  pantry —  sent  oft'  the  footman,  when  most  in  request,  on  frivolous  er- 
rands—  plugged  the  pipes  of  keys  —  fastened  cliairs  together  —  set  tables 
topsy-turvy  —  shut  the  cat  in  the  china-closet  —  fastened  the  house-dog  to 
the  gate-bell  —  and  then  was  discovered  ranting  as  Belvidera,  with  his 
clumsy  person  thrust  into  a  new  dress  that  had  just  been  sent  home 
for  his  sister.  'Tilda  screamed  and  scolded,  the  mother  begged  and 
prayed — but  the  mischievous  spirit  of  this  domestic  Caliban  was  not  pro- 
perly quelled  till  Twigg  senior  had  ten  times  turned  him  out  of  the  business, 
twenty  times  cut  him  oflT  with  a  shilling,  and,  at  last,  given  him  a  sound 
cuffing  with  his  own  fatherly  hands. 

It  seemed  impossible  that  the  festive  preparation  could  be  completed  by 
the  given  day  ;  but  the  lime  came,  and  every  thing  was  in  order.  As  the 
cub  had  predicted,  the  governor  had  rolled  a  great  many  entertainments  into 
3ne.  In  the  centre  of  the  lawn  stood  a  large  marquee,  containing  an  ample 
cold  collation,  which  made  a  very  showy  appearance,  the  principal  dishes 
being  kept  cold  by  the  new  massive  silver  covers,  each  surmounted  by  the 
family  embiem,  a  bee,  big  enough  for  a  cockchafer.  Above  this  pavilion 
waved,  or  rather  should  have  waved,  a  broad  silken  banner,  that  had  often 
fluttered  and  flaunted  in  the  procession  of  the  Worshipful  Company  of 
Ironmongers,  but  now,  for  want  of  wind,  hung  down  a«  motionless  as  a 
piece  of  hardvvare.  In  a  line  with  the  marquee  was  a  target  for  archery,  so 
posted,  that  whoever  missed  the  butt  would  have  a  fair  chance  of  hitting  the 
tent ;  whilst,  for  the  accommodation  of  anglers,  the  margin  of  the  large  fish- 
pond was  furnished  with  sundry  elbow-chairs,  wherein  the  sedentary  angler 
might  enjoy  "  the  contemplative  man's  recreation,"  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  a  country  dance  and  a  pandean  band,  in  those  days  as  fiishionable  a 
band  as  Weippart's  or  Colinet's  at  the  present  time.  To  accommodate  the 
musicians,  the  octagon  summer-house  was  fitted  up  as  a  temporary  orches- 
tra, in  front  of  which  stood  a  column  of  benches  three  deep  ;  for  Twigg,  on 
personally  inviting  the  pedagogue  of  Prospect-House,  and  begiringa  whole 
holyday  for  the  boys,  had  embraced  that  eligible  opportunity  of  borrowing 
all  the  school  forms.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  garden,  the  orange-trees 
and  exotics  from  the  hothouse  formed  an  avenue  up  to  an  arbour,  chris- 
tened, for  the  occasion,  the  Temple  of  Flora,  and  specially  dedicated  to  the 
occupation  of  Miss  Twigg,  who  undertook,  in  an  appropriate  fancy  dress, 
to  represent  the  Glueen  of  Flowers.  The  Hermitage,  in  a  secluded  corner 
of  the  grounds,  had  its  rustic  table  furnished  with  a  huge  portfolio  of  co- 
loured caricatures ;  and  the  paddock  was  devoted  to  trapball  and  cricket, 
the  wicket  for  the  latter  game  being  considerately  pitched,  so  that  a  barn  on 
one  side,  and  a  haystack  on  the  other,  would  materially  assist  the  fieldsmen 
in  stopping  the  ball.  A  whimsical  feature  remains  to  be  mentioned.  In 
anticipation  of  syllabub,  Daisy,  a  polled  Alderney,  was  tethered  at  a  corner 


152  TYLNET   HALL. 

of  tho  lawn,  a  stone  Cupid  seeming  ludicrously  to  keep  watch  over  her,  in 
the  capacity  of' a  cowboy. 

Such  were  the  festive  arrangements  over  which  Twigg  glanced  with  a 
satisfaction  that  made  him  frequently  wash  his  hands  without  water  or  soap, 
while  he  mentally  contrasted  the  gay  scene  before  him  with  the  nurnble 
prospects  of  his  youth.  He  was  dressed  in  a  full  court  suit  of  plum  colour, 
m  which,  as  Sheriff,  he  had  gone  up  with  an  address  to  the  King ;  his  part- 
ner, with  her  embonpoint  and  her  pink  satin,  looked  extremely  like  that 
hearty  and  substantial  flower,  a  full  blown  cabbage-rose  ;  while  'Tilda,  in 
apple-green  silk,  festooned  with  artificial  flowers,  and  her  hair  wreathed 
with  real  ones,  appeared  actually,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  a  cut  above  human 
nature." 

At  the  first  encounter  of  husband  and  wife  in  their  full  plumage,  she  sa- 
luted him  with  a  very  profound  curtsey,  which  he  returned  by  an  elaborate 
bow,  as  if  in  joint  rehearsal  of  the  ceremonies  to  come,  and  then  they  mutu- 
ally congratulated  each  other  on  the  propitious  weather,  for  the  sky  was 
calm  and  cloudless,  though  it  was  rather  hot  for  the  season  :  indeed,  as 
Twigg  said,  he  should  have  thought  it  '*  very  hard  if  a  man  of  his  property 
could  not  have  a  fine  day  for  a  fSte." 

One  thing  puzzled  the  worthy  pair.  Few  of  the  neighbouring  gentry  had 
accepted  their  invitation,  though  the  Hive  was  so  handy,  and  they  had  car- 
riages of  their  own  ;  whereas  the  metropolitan  families  who  had  been  asked, 
came  almost  to  a  fraction,  notwithstanding  the  distance  was  considerable, 
and  many  had  to  hire  vehicles.  It  was  singular,  besides,  that  those  who 
had  the  farthest  to  travel  arri.ved  first ;  guests  from  Bishopsgate,  Ludgate, 
and  Cripplegate,  came  in,  and  had  successively  made  the  tour  of  the  house 
and  grounds  before  a  single  soul  was  announced  who  belonged  to  the  vi- 
cinity. However,  the  interval  was  a  grateful  one,  for  it  allowed  the  mastei 
and  mistress  of  the  Hive  to  feel  really  "  at  home"  with  their  former  con- 
nexions, and  to  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  civic  recollections,  unrepressed  by 
the  presence  of  their  more  aristocratic  acquaintance.  Mrs.  Twigg  exhibited 
to  her  female  friends  her  drawing-room,  bed-rooms,  store-room,  kitchen, 
washhouse,  brewhouse,  and  her  unprofitable  dairy ;  meanwhile  Twigg  pa- 
raded his  old  cronies  through  his  dining-room,  billiard-room,  study,  and  sta- 
bles, or  trotted  them  round  the  grounds,  pointing  out  peeps  and  prospects, 
and  then  rushing  back  to  act  as  showman  to  fresh  batches,  who  Avere  suc- 
cessively ushered  into  the  garden  by  Pompey,  his  black  fae-9  opening  from 
ear  to  ear,  like  a  personification  of  Coalman's  Broad  Grins.  The  coach- 
man, in  topboots,  assisted  the  footman  ;  and  the  gardener,  a  sort  of  Jerry 
Blossom,'  fancy-dressed  in  a  straw  hat,  peagreen  coat,  skyWue  hose,  and 
parsley-and-butter  waistcoat,  trotted  after  his  master,  to  give  the  proper 
names  of  the  flowers  and  shrubs,  for  the  proprietor  scarcely  knew  a  peony 
from  a  pink. 

At  one  o'clock  all  the  company  had  arrived,  excepting  the  Tyrrels  and 
the  Riverses  ;  many  of  the  younger  guests  coming  in  fancy  dresses,  more 
or  less  tasteful :  there  were  Swiss,  Turkish,  and  Grecian  maids  ;  nuns, 
Dianas,  nymphs,  Spanish  Dons,  troubadours,  m.onks,  knights,  a  shepherd, 
and  no  less  than  three  shepherdesses,  without  a  sheep.  The  air  was  no\r 
become  oppressively  sultry  ;  but  Twigg  suflered  little  from  the  weather,  in 
comparison  with  his  hot  and  cold  fits  of  nervousness  and  anxiety,  origi- 
nating in  other  causes  than  the  mere  novelty  of  his  situation.  First,  he 
had  to  endure  a  long  complimentary  oration  from  Doctor  Bellamy,  an  ap- 
propriate answer  to  which  would  have  cost  the  hearer  more  trouble  than  a 
speech  in  common  council ;  then  he  had  to  meet  the  Squire  for  the  first 
time  since  smashing  his  decanters  ;  —  the  pedag02;ue  from  Prospect  House 
was  perpetually  addressing  him  with  Latin  quotations  :  and  he  was  espe- 
cially puzzled  by  the  presence  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cobb, — for  archery  and  cricket 


TTLNEY   HALL.  153 

were  sports  for  laymen,  and  he  could  think  of  no  clerical  amusement,  except 
inviting  tlie  worthy  vicar  every  ten  minutes  to  eat  or  drink.  The  occasional 
absences  of  his  son  kept  him,  besides,  in  an  intermittingfever,  for  he  judged 
ri^hllv,  that  the  cub,  when  out  of  sight,  was  engaged  in  mischief;  above  all, 
he  coiild  not  help  noticing  that  a  damp  hung  over  the  spirits  of  the  whole  com- 
pany, which  he  vainly  tried  to  dissipate.  The  town  party  and  the  country 
party  refused  to  amalgamate,  and  took  opposite  sides  of  the  garden,  like 
Whigs  and  Tories  ;  nay,  tfie  very  sexes  seemed  toantipatliize,  and  tlie young 
ladies  planted  themselves  in  clumps  on  one  part  of  the  lawn,  while  the  young 
gentlen'.en  formed  groups  elsewhere.  Possibly,  like  the  guests  at  the  feast 
after  the  manner  of  the  ancients,  as  recorded  in  Peregrine  Pickle,  each  mdi- 
vidual  awaited  the  example  of  his  neighbour  how  he  was  to  behave  or  enjoy 
himself  at  so  unusual  an  entertainment ;  perhaps  mirth  was  depressed  by 
the  earnest  injunction  to  be  merry  of  the  host  and  hostess,  who  did  not  know 
that  to  bid  a  wit  "  to  be  funny,"  is  to  desire  him  to  be  dull.  As  Twigg 
trotted  to  and  fro  with  the  activity  and  volubility  of  a  flying  pieman,  he  in- 
dulged in  such  patter  as  the  following. 
"My  dear  Miss  Tipper,  I  declare,  as  blooming  as  ever  —  glad  to  see  you 

—  take  an  ice  —  Mrs.  Crowder,  have  you  been  round  tiie  grounds  ?  —  Rev. 
Dr.  Cobb,  a  glass  of  wine  —  Pray  make  free,  gentlemen  —  Liberty  Hall, 
you  knww  —  Matilda,  Miss  Dobbs  would  like  to  see  Flora's  Temple  — 
'Tilda  looks  well,  do  n't  she?  —  Mr.  Deputy,  there  '11  be  a  collation  at  foui 
in  the  tent ;  but  take  a  snack  beforehand  —  plenty  in  the  dining-room  — 
come,  young  folks,  be  merry,  be  merry  —  what  are  you  all  for?  —  there's 
bow  and  arrows,  and  cricket,  and  fishing,  and  dancing  on  the  green,  and 
music  —  Mrs.  Tilby,  T  know  you 're  fond  of  vocals — run,  Pompey,  and  de- 
sire Mr.  Hopkinsoii  for  the  favour  of  a  son^  —  my  dear,  do  keep  an  eye  on 

John,  he  's  drunk  already,  d n  him  —  Mr.  Sparks,  a  glass  of  wine  —  the 

same  with  you,  Mr.  Dowson  —  here,  this  way  into  the  green-house  —  come, 
hob-a-nob  —  a  pretty  scene,  is  n't  it>  Sparks,  my  old  boy —  and  all  my  own 
property  —  Mr.  Dowson,  I  can't  help  remembering  old  times  ;  but  many  's 
the  time  Sparks  and  me  has  clubbed  our  shillings  together  for  a  treat  at 
Bagnigge  Wells.  A  great  change  though,  says  you,  from  that  to  this.  I 
little  tiiought  when  I  wrote  T.  Twigg  with  a  watering-tin,  on  a  dusty 
pavement,  that  I  should  be  signing  it  some  day  to  cheques  for  thousands. 
I  do  n't  care  who  knows  it,  buf  I  was  n't  always  the  warm  man  I  am  to-day. 
Mr.  Squire,  pray  step  in  —  a  glass  of  wine  —  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Squire 

—  break  as  much  as  you  please,  and  I  vvorh't  say  anything  ;  we  shall  only 
be  quits  —  now  for  a  look  about  us  again  —  where  the  devil  is  T.,  junior  ? 

—  Mr.  Danvers,  go  to  my  daughter's  bovver,  she'll  present  you  a  bou- 
quet—  Dr.  Bellamy,  a  glass  of  wine  —  Miss  Trimmer,  I  know  you  like 
solitude  ;  and  that 's  the  way  to  the  Hermitage.  Do  n't  be  alarmed  at  the 
cow,  she's  only  flapping  off  the  flies  —  Dr.  Cobb,  there's  lunch  in  the  dining- 
room  —  Mr.  Cottrel,  do  go  and  divide  those  young  ladies  —  beaux,  beaux, 
what  are  you  about  ?  — come,  choose  partners,  do  n't  let  the  band  play  for 
nothing  —  Mr.  Crump,  a  glass  of  wine —  " 

Such  was  the  style  of  Twigg's  exhortations  ;  who  unlike  other  lecturers, 
endeavoured  to  enforce  his  precepts  by  practice.  He  made  a  dozen  inffec- 
*ual  offiirs  with  the  trap-bat  at  the  ball,  bobbed  a  fishing-line  up  and  down 
m  the  fish-pond,  seized  Mrs.  Deputy  Dobbs,  and  cut  a  brief  caper  with  her 
on  the  s^'fiss  plat,  and  finally,  fitting  an  arrow  to  a  bow,  the  shaft  escaped 
from  his  fingers,  and  passed  through  Mrs.  Tipper's  turban,  where  it  lodg- 
ed, like  a  skewer  a  la  Grecqite.  Such  a  commencement  made  every  one 
averse  to  archery,  and  particularly  as  Mrs,  Twicrg  requested  that  before 
shooting  any  more  arrows,  they  would  let  her  put  corks  on  all  tiie  points. 
As  to  angling,  it  seemed  universally  agreed,  that  on  such  a  day  no  fish 
would  take  a  bait ;  and  with  regard  to  dancing,  Twigg's  tarantula  did  not 
7—4 


154  TYLNEY   HALL. 

bite  any  more  than  the  fish,  whilst  the  trap-ball  and  the  cricket-ball  were 
as  much  out  of  favour  as  the  ballon  the  lawn.  Music  itself  seemed  for 
once  to  have  lost  its  charms,  and  the  most  popular  of  Mr.  Hopkinson*a 
songs  attracted  no  auditor  but  Dr.  Bellamy,  who  sat  gravely  bowing  time, 
and  waving  bis  hand  in  accompaniment  of  the  long,  elabo'^ate,  rambling 
cadences  then  in  fashion,  and  which  might  aptly  be  compared  to  the  ex- 
traneous flourishes  so  much  in  vogue  at  the  same  period,  when  the  pen  went 
curvetting  olV  from  plain  pothooks  and  hangers  into  ornamental  swans, 
ships,  dragoons,  eagles,  and  fierce  faces  in  flowing  wigs.  Indeed,  from 
the  evolutions  of  Old  Formality's  right  hand  and  fore-finger,  their  sweeps, 
and  wavings  and  circumgyrations,  and  occasional  rapid  spinnings,  a  deaf 
man  would  certainly  have  thought  that  he  was  meditating  and  practising 
some  such  caligraphic  devices  on  the  empty  air. 

At  last  Massa  Baronet  Tyrrel  was  announced  by  the  obsequious  Pompey, 
and  the  joviiil  Sir  Mark  immediately  appeared,  with  his  family,  including 
his  daughter  elect,  Grace  Rivers,  the  avocations  of  the  Justice  not  allowing 
him  to  be  present  so  early.  The  Baronet,  delivered  from  gout,  was  in  ex- 
cellent health  and  spirits  ;  Mrs.  Hamilton  seemed" unusually  cheerful ;  Raby 
and  Grace  were  of  course  happy  in  each  other's  society ;  and  even  Ring- 
wood  and  St.  Kitts  appeared  cither  to  have  forgotten  their  old  feud,  or  to 
have  agreed  on  an  armistice  for  the  day.  The  host  and  hostess  were  loud 
and  eager  in  their  welcome  and  salutations. 

"  Oh,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Twigg,  in  a  tone  of 
'eproach,  *'  how  could  you  be  so  behind  time  ?  You  promised  to  enjoy  a 
ongday." 

"  To  be  sure,  madam,"  answered  Sir  Mark,  **  to  judge  by  the  field,  I 
am  rather  late  at  the  meet ;  but  no  matter  —  a  short  burst  may  be  a  merry 
one ;  and  as  yet,  from  all  I  see,  I  have  lost  little  sport." 

"Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  a  glass  of  wine?"  said  Mr.  Twigg.  "A 
votary  of  Diana,"  lisped  Miss  Twigg,  *'  must  be  a  fiiend  to  Flora,  —  may 
[  offer  a  bouquet  ?" 

"  I  shall  be  proud  and  happy,"  returned  the  gallant  Sir  Mark,  with  a  bow 
that  belonged  to  the  Hunt  Balls  ;  but  in  stepping  hastily  forward  to  receive 
the  nosegay,  he  unluckily  set  his  right  foot  with  some  emphasis  on  the  fore- 
paw  of  a  little  Blenheim  spaniel  that  was  careering  round  Flora's  green 
sandals.  The  poor  brute  immediately  set  up  a  dismal  howl,  and  the  God- 
dess, divesting  her  hands  with  little  ceremony  of  the  proffered  bouquet, 
caught  up  the  curly  favourite,  and  began  to  fondle  it  in  her  arms. 

"  D — n  the  dog  !"  exclaimed  Twigg,  with  his  usual  abruptness  ;  "  chuck 
him  down  again,  and  give  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  his  bow- pot." 

"  I  am  really  ashamed  of  her,  sir,"  said  the  mother,  stooping  and  present- 
ing the  flowers  herself;  "but  the  little  animal's  a  great  darling,  a  real 
Marlbro',  and  a  present  from  Mr.  Ringwood^" 

The  Baronet  winced  at  the  information,  and  could  have  kicked  the  dog 
back  to  Blenheim  with  all  his  heart ;  while  Ringwood,  Raby,  and  the  Creole 
exchanged  looks  of  vexation  with  each  other,  which  gradually  altered  into 
smiles,  and  at  last  they  all  laughed  in  concert.  There  is  a  story  current 
on  the  turf,  of  a  certain  jockey  who  very  profitably  disposed  of  three  several 
whips,  to  as  many  gentlemen,  as  the  identical  whip  with  which  he  had  won 
the  Derby  ;  and  the  keeper,  or  under-keeper  of  Blenheim  hr.d  practised  a 
similar  imposition  on  our  three  collegians,  by  selling  to  each  of  them  tha 
only  spaniel  of  that  celebrated  breed  that  "  was  to  be  had  for  love  or  money." 
However,  each  prudently  kept  the  secret.  Twigg  took  the  Baronet  info 
the  irreen-house  for  a  glass  of  wine;  Mrs.  Twigg  invited  Mrs.  Hamilton 
to  take  a  peep  at  the  preparations  in  the  marquee,  and  Matilda  led  Grace 
to  her  temple. 

"  Weil,  what  do  vou  think  now  of  the  great  Dutch  doll  with  a  ship's 


TYLNEY    HALL.  155 

figure-head  ?"  inquired  Ringwood,  as  he  watched  the  departing  Flora  witli 
eyes  full  of  admiration  and  triiuuph. 

"  Why,  I  have  often  seen  Jack  in  ihe  Green,"  answered  Raby  quietly ; 
**  but  I  never  had  the  pleasure  before  of  meeting  his  wife." 

"  I  suppose  you  mean  her  festoons  of  flowers  ?"  answered  Ringwood,  in- 
dignantly ;  "  why,  it  's  a  fancy  dress  —  but  I  forgot  I  was  speaking  to  a 
blind  book-worm,  who  hardly  knows  a  gown  from  a  riding  habit."  So 
saying,  he  turned  on  his  heel,  and  walked  off  in  pursuit  of  the  Goddess  of 
buds  and  blossoms. 

"  Upon  my  honour,  Raby,"  said  the  Creole,  "  I  suspect  your  brother  is 
turned  a  Pagan,  and  means  to  worship  the  mythological  divinity  who  has 
just  left  us." 

"  Let  him  worship  her,"  answered  Raby,  in  an  indifferent  tone ;  "  it  is 
no  concern  of  mine ;  he  is  as  free  to  choose  his  altars  as  J  am." 

"  Of  course  he  is,"  answered  St.  Kitts  ;  '*  but  I  doubt  whether  his  father 
will  admit  your  doctrine  of  universal  toleration.  I  have  reason  to  believe 
he  would  rather  the  vows  of  his  oldest-born  should  be  offered  at  the  shrine 
of  St.  Grace." 

"Nothing  more  likely,"  answered  Raby,  with  the  same  composed  tone; 
"my  father  always  called  her  his  first  favourite;  but  as  for  Ringwood, 
he  has  not  the  taste  to  prefer  Grace  with  that  simple  moss-rose  in  her  bod- 
dice  to  the  Q,ueen  of  the  daffodils." 

The  Creole  bit  his  lip.  He  had  meant  to  disturb  the  enviable  serenity  of 
a  favoured  lover,  but  the  attempt  failed  :  —  the  happy  rival  moved  off,  oi 
course  in  pursuit  of  Grace, and  St.  Kitts  was  preparing  to  follow  him,  when  h« 
was  arrested  by  a  twitch  of  the  slesve,  and  the  cub  accosted  him  with  hia 
usual  tamiliarity. 

"  I  say,  an't  you  a  scaly  chap,  now,  not  to  come  in  character  ?  You  pro- 
mised me,  honour  bright,  you  know  ;  and,  thinks  I,  it  will  be  a  hat  and 
■feathers,  and  a  lonsr  cloak  ;  for  you've  just  the  cut  of  the  mug,  and  the 
brown  chops  for  a  Spanish  Don." 

*'  I  save  no  such  promise,  sir,"  answered  the  Creole,  sharply. 
*' Come,  that's  a  ^ood  un ?"  exclaimed  the  cub.     "  And  I  suppose  you 
did 'nt  promise  to  give  us  a  little  spouting?  And  you  don't  remember, 

neither,  the  bit  of  speechifying  in  the  lane 'the  portrait,  the  portrait 's 

the  tnvne', and  truth  stamps  on  it  ?" 

"  I  am  no  strolling  player,  sir,"  said  St.  Kitts  ;  "  but  perhaps  you  mistake 
me  for  some  of  your  acquaintance." 

"  No,  I  do  n't,"  answered  the  cub,  with  a  knowing  wink  ;  "  I  'd  swear  to 
your  phiz  any  wheres,  and  no  mistake.  Who  are  you?  Why,  you're 
Watty  Tyrrel,  alias  St.  Kitts,  alias  Gyp." 

"The  time  and  place  protect  you,  sir,"  said  the  Creole,  between  his 
teeth,  "  or  this  offensive  familiarity  should  be  chastised." 

"Punished,  eh  !"  said  the  cub:  "if  you're  for  a  turn  up,  do  n't  stick 
about  trifles ;  the  company  's  dullish,  and  a  bit  of  a  row  will  brighten  'em 
up.  For  my  part,  I'd  as  soon  fight  in  a  ring  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  as 
prisrs,  sheenies,  and  costermongers,  and  we  need  n't  strip.  So  shy  up  your 
castor,  and  my  tile  won't  be  loni:  after  it." 

"  I  have  no  inclination,  sir,"  said  the  Creole,  "  to  convert  this  garden  into 
a  bear-garden." 

*'  All  fozrum,"  said  the  cub,  adopting  a  favourite  phrase  of  the  highborn 
and  highbred  Fulke  Greville ;  "didn't  Hamlet  and  Thing-um-bob  ferice 
before  the  King  and  GLueen,  and  all  the  Court  ?  It's  only  domg  the  thing 
more  like  Englishmen,  with  fists  instead  of  foils." 

"No,  no,  I  '11  bo  a  partv  to  no  such  parodies  of  Shakspeare,"  said  St. 
Kitts,  with  a  laush  ;  for  he  prudently  reflected,  that  it  is  bett(!r  to  dance 
with  a  bear  than  to  fight  with  him  ;  and,  besides,  the  altercation  had  begun 


156  TYLNEY   HALL. 

to  attract  the  notice  of  the  bystanders ;  he  readily  took,  therefore,  the  hand 
that  was  held  out  to  him,  and  accepted  the  cub's  invitation  to  see  *'  some 
thmg  worth  seeing,"  in  a  distant  part  of  the  grounds. 

"  There  it  is,"  said  the  cub,  pointing,  with  a  chuckle,  to  a  garden  engine, 
*'  it's  chuck-full,  and  a  regular  sneaking  job  I  had  to  get  it  here  on  the  sly. 
Come,  man,  pump  away  like  a  fireman,  and  I  Ml  guide  the  pipe." 

"  I  must  first  know  what  is  to  be  got  under,"  said  St.  Kitts,  "  before  I 
help  to  play  upon  it." 

*'  Why  the  arbour,  to  be  sure,"  answered  the  cub ;  "  those  green  boards 
are  the  back  of  it.  'Tilda  is  Flora,  and  that 's  her  Temple,  and  as  it 's  hot- 
tish  weather  for  her  and  the  flowers,  I'm  going  to  give  them  a  benefit." 

"  You  must  excuse  me,"  said  the  Creole,  *'  but  I  will  be  accomplice  in  no 
such  plot ;  I  detest  practical  jokes." 

"  Backing  out,  eh?"  said  the  cub,  regarding  his  companion  with  a  look 
of  contempt.  "  Why,  she  '11  only  give  a  squawk  ;  1  've  often  cold-pigged 
her  of  a  morning.     But  no  matter,  —  I  can  do  it  myself.     So  here  goes." 

The  speaker  immediately  seized  the  handle  of  the  pump,  and  plied  it  vi- 
gorously, with  one  hand,  while  the  other  directed  the  pipe  upwards,  so 
judgmatically,  as  he  would  have  said,  that  the  jet  of  water,  after  rushing 
some  yards  aloft,  fell  in  a  heavy  shower  through  the  lattice-work  which 
composed  the  roof  of  the  bower.  A  loud  scream,  as  he  had  predicted,  arose 
from  the  interior  of  the  temple,  and  almost  before  it  had  done  echoing,  Ring- 
wood  was  in  the  rear  of  the  arbour,  looking  round,  with  glaring  eyes,  for  the 
projector  of  this  piece  of  mischief.  The  cub,  however,  had  disappeared, 
and  Flora's  avenger  saw  only  St.  Kitts,  with  his  hand  still  on  the  pipe,  which 
he  had,  too  late,  attempted  to  avert. 

"  St.  Kitts,  by  Heaven  !  I  guessed  as  much !"  exclaimed  Ringwood,  at  the 
same  time  advancing  and  shaking  his  clenched  fist  within  an  inch  or  two  of 
the  other's  face  :  —  "  You  scoundrel !" 

"  Take  back  your  scoundrel,"  said  the  Creole,  retreating  a  pace  back- 
ward ;   "and  carry  your  threats  elsewhere.     It  was  no  act  of  mine." 

*'  It  is  false  !"  cried  Ringwood,  vehemently.  "  There  's  no  one  here,  but 
yourself,  who  owes  me  a  grudge,  or  would  pay  it  off  in  so  infamous  a  man- 
ner.    You  knew  I  was  in  the  arbour!" 

"  I  have  as  yet  seen  nothing  but  the  back  of  it,"  answered  the  Creole; 

and  my  sight  is  not  so  keen  as  to  pierce  through  deal  boards." 

"  But  you  thought  I  ivas  there,  at  any  rate,"  retorted  Ringwood. 

The  Creole  was  silent;  he  could  not  deny  that  he  had  supposed  Flora's 
votary  to  be  with  her  in  her  temple  ;  but  he  did  not  care  to  enter  on  the  rea- 
sons which  had  led  to  that  inference  ;  nor  did  he  choose  voluntarily  to  give 
-.ap  Twigg,  junior,  as  the  culprit.  This  hesitation  was  attributed  to  guilt 
by  the  passionate  Ringwood,  whose  blood  v/as  now  risen  to  boiling  heat. 
"  You  are  a  coward,  and  a  liar,  to  boot,"  he  said,  fiercely  ;  "  but  the  punish- 
ment shall  match  the  offence ;"  and  he  seized  the  handle  of  the  en";ine  with 
one  hand,  and  the  pipe  with  the  other.  St.  Kitts,  who  saw  througTi  his  de- 
sign, sprung  forward  to  resist  its  execution,  and  in  an  instant  they  were  en- 
gaged in  a  desperate  struggle  for  mastery.  Every  sinew  was  stretched  to 
the  utmost,  the  muscles  started  out  on  their  hands,  and  the  veins  of  their 
temples  swelled  almost  to  bursting ;  but  the  superior  strength  of  Ringwood 
prevailed.  With  a  sudden  and  violent  effort  he  wrenched  the  grasp  of  St. 
Kitts  from  the  engine,  and  dashed  him  staggering  some  paces  backward, 
where,  before  he  could  recover  himself,  a  gushing  jet  of  water  drenched  his 
whole  person,  from  head  to  heel. 

"You  shall  repent  this,  by  heaven  !"  said  the  Creole,  as  soon  as  he  reco- 
vered from  the  blindness  and  surprise  of  the  shock.  "  It  is  water  that  drips 
^rom  me,  but  you  shall  welter  in  blood  !" 

" Theold  story,"  replied  Ringwood,  contemptuously ;  "  but  you  are  frf>'>'y 


TTLNEY    HALL.  157 

welcome  to  all  you  are  likely  to  draw  from  me,  whether  at  boxing,  or  single- 
stick ;  for  of  course  you  mean  the  weapons  that  belong  to  your  caste." 

"Ringwood  !"  said  the  Creole,  with  eager  earnestness,  "  grant  me  one 
request.  Promise  me,  by  your  honour,  that  if  the  stain  on  my  birth  sho>jld 
ever  be  removed,  you  will  meet  me  as  your  equal,  with  the  arms  of  gentle- 
men ?" 

"  Oh.  with  all  my  heart,"  answered  Ringwood  ;  "  there 's  my  hand  on  it ; — 
but,  mind,  I  must  have  good  proof,  evidence  in  black  and  white,  and  not  in 
whitey-brown,  that  your  mother  was  no  slave  among  the  sugar-canes.  I 
should  n't  like,  when  I  thought  I  was  letting  good  blood,  to  find  it  was  only 
treacle." 

"  Enough,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  hard  squeeze  of  the  hand  that  was 
held  out  to  him  ;  "remember  —  your  honour  is  pledged  ;"  and  hastily  turn- 
ing away,  the  speaker  sprang  over  the  fence,  which  was  only  a  paling,  and 
disappeared.  At  th^same  moment  a  smothered  haw  !  haw  !  haw  !  from  be- 
hind a  clump  of  shrubs  proved  that  this  water-scene  had  been  observed  and 
enjoyed  by  the  projector  of  the  joke. 

"  So  here  you  are,"  said  Raby,  making  his  appearance,  "  in  thio  strange 
out  of  the  way  corner ;  I  fancied  I  heard  your  voice  at  high  words  with  St. 
Kitts.     Pray  what  was  the  matter?" 

"  Nothing  at  all ;  he  only  began  to  blaze,  and  so  I  got  him  under,"  an- 
swered Ringwood,  carelessly  pointing  with  his  finger  to  the  garden-engine. 
And  he  lounged  off  into  the  bower,  where  he  found  the  deluge  wiped  up  and 
his  Goddess  m  statu  quo. 

During  this  interlude  the  dulness  of  the  rest  of  the  company  had  rathei 
increased,  and  the  gaudy  flag,  that  still  drooped  motionless  on  its  staff 
seemed  a  proper  emblem  of  their  hstless  and  inanimate  condition.  —  They 
stood  about  the  grounds  in  groups,  idle,  weary,  and  dreary,  and  seemed  by 
common  consent  to  have  adopted  the  line  of  conduct  of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Dan- 
vers,  a  sort  of  exclusive  of  those  days,  who,  in  answer  to  every  proposition 
of  amusement,  lisped  languidly,  "that  he  preferred  to  look  on." 

"  It 's  very  odd  a  man  of  my  property  can't  have  a  merry  party,"  thought 
Twigg,  as  he  looked  round  on  his  grand  to-do,  and  saw  the  festive  scene 
with  a  visible  damp  over  it,  like  a  wet  night  at  Vauxhall.  In  the  bitterness 
of  his  heart  he  sidled  up  to  Mrs.  Twigg,  who  was  standing  near  the  mar- 
quee, and  said  to  her,  in  a  low  tone,  "Our  friends,  d — n  them,  are  as  dull 
as  ditch-water.     What  the  devil  can  we  da  with  them?" 

"  Nine,  ten,  eleven,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  with  an  abstracted  look,  and  a 
little  nod  of  her  head  at  each  number. 

"  What  the is  running  in  your  fool's  head,  madam  ?"  said  the  Mas- 
ter of  the  Hive,  who  was  apt  to  use  expressions  not  exactly  cut  out  for  the 
ear  of  our  present  Licenser. 

"Hush;  —  fourteen,  fifteen,  sixteen,  seventeen,"  continued  Mrs.  Twigg, 
with  the  action  of  a  Mandarin.  "  Drat  that  Pompey  ;  I  know  there's  more 
heads  than  plates."  And  she  rushed  off  to  scold  the  oblivious  black.  The 
poor  African,  indeed,  during  the  last  half  hour,  had  fully  entitled  himself  to 
receive  what  Twi^g,  junior,  would  have  called  a  regular  good  wigfjing. 

A  breath  of  air  displaying,  for  the  first  time,  the  ironmongers'  banner,  it 
was  discovered  that  the  obtuse  negro  had  hoisted  it  reversed,  with  all  the 
armorial  bearings  of  that  Worshi[)ful  Company  standing  on  their  heads; 
and  in  absurdly  attempting  to  rectify  this  blunder,  by  swarming  up  the  stafij 
down  came  Pompey,  pole,  flae,  and  all,  on  the  dignified  head  of  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Danvers,  who  was  indulging  his  preference  for  looking  on.  His  next 
exploit  was  in  bowing  nnd  backing  to  make  way  for  Mr. "justice  Rivers, 
whereby  he  got  a  fair  roll  and  tumble  over  Miss  Bower,  one  of  the  sh(>p^ 
herdesses,  who  was  sitting  very  pastorally  on  the  grass ;  and,  by-and-by, 
recollecting  some  neglected  previous  order,  he  ran  oflT  headlong  to  execute 
4* 


158  TYLNEY    HALL. 

it,  popping  down  a  trayfull  of  ices  to  thaw  and  dissolve  themselves  into  a 
dew,  under  the  broiling  sun.  A  long  hundred  of  such  little  enormities  were 
committed  by  the  wrong-headed  Hottentot;  but  only  imagine  the  amaze- 
ment of  his  mistress,  when  she  saw  him  gravely  conveying  a  reinforcement 
of  cake  and  wine  to  the  green-house  in  a  common  hand-barrow  ;  —  and  con- 
ceive her  still  greater  horror  when  he  came  back  on  the  broad  grin,  with 
the  same  vehicle  containing  the  helpless,  portly  body  of  the  coachman  as 
drunk  as  the  celebrated  sow  of  David.  The  only  possible  ihing  that  could 
be  urged  in  favour  of  the  sot,  was,  that  he  was  not  cross  in  his  cups,  for 
during  his  progress  he  persisted  in  singing  a  jolly  song,  quite  as  broad  as  it 
was  long,  with  all  the  voice  that  he  had  left. 

*'  I  shall  faint  away  !  —  I  shall  go'wild  !  —  I  shall  die  on  the  spot !"  — 
exclaimed  the  distressed  mistress  of  the  Hive.  —  "I  wonder  where  Mr.  T. 
is?  That  Pompey  is  enough  to  —  has  any  body  s^en  Mr.  T.  ?  It  is 
really  cruel,  —  what  can  a  woman  do  with  a  tipsy  man  ?  —  Do  run  about, 
Peter,  and  look  for  your  master,  — Mr.  T. !  Mr.  T.  !  Mr.  T. !" 

But  no  one  responded  to  the  invocation,  although  the  whole  grounds  re- 
sounded, gradually,  with  an  universal  call  for  Mr.  Twigg.  The  unhappy 
lady  was  in  despair  —  she  feared  she  knew  not  what.  When  she  last  saw 
him  he  had  been  worked  up  by  successive  mistakes  and  accidents  to  an 
awful  pitch  of  nervous  excitement,  and  she  did  not  feel  sure  that  he  had 
not  actually  run  away  in  a  paroxysm  of  disgust  and  horror,  leaving  her, 
like  Lady  Macbeth,  to  huddle  up  the  banquet  as  she  might.  At  last  a 
popping  sound  attracted  her  to  the  tent,  and  there  she  found  the  wished- 
for  personage,  cursing  and  swearing  in  a  whisper,  and  stopping  with  each 
,humb  a  bottle  of  champagne,  which  had  suffered  so  from  the  hot  weather, 
ihat  the  fixed  air  had  determined  on  visiting  the  fresh. 

*' Oh,  Mr.  T.,  what  would  you  think!"  —  began  the  poor  hostess,  but 
he  cut  her  short ;  and  the  following  dialogue  ensued. 

"None  of  your  clack,  madam ;  but  stop  those  two  bottles"  —  and  he 

pointed  to  a  couple  of  long-necked  fizzlers  ;  "  d n  it,  madam,  stop  'em 

tight,  —  you're  making  them  squirt  in  my  face.  There  you  go  agin! 
Where 's  Pompey,  —  where 's  Peter,  —  wherc's  John,  —  what  the  devil  'a 
the  use  of  servants,  if  they're  away  when  you  want 'cm  —  curse  the 
champagne  !  —  Here's  a  pretty  situation  for  a  man  of  my  property  !" 

*'  My  dear,  do  only  have  a  little  patience — " 

"  Patience  be  hanged !     I  've  been  standing  so,  madam,  this  half  hour 

—  till  I  've  got  a  cramp  in  both  thumbs.  I  told  that  rascal  John  never  to 
quit  the  tent,  and  you,  madam,  you, — with  your  confounded  she-gossips 

—  why  did  n't  you  come  sooner?  I'll  tell  you  what  —  if  ever  I  have  a 
fSte  again  —  is  any  body  happy  —  is  any  body  lively  —  will  any  body  shoot 
at  the  target  —  or  dance  on  the  lawn — or  play  cricket  ?  No,  says  you, 
it 's  a  failure,  a  regular  failure  ;  and  as  for  pleasure,  there  an't  a  farthing  in 
the  pound  !" 

The  colloquy  would  doubtless  have  proceeded  much  further,  but  for  a 
succession  of  female  shrieks  which  arose  from  all  quarters  at  once,  where- 
at leaving  the  champagne  to  take  care  of  itself,  the  perplexed  pair  rushed 
out,  with  palpitating  hearts,  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of  this  new  catas- 
trophe. And  truly  they  beheld  a  sight  to  London-bred  spectators  pecu- 
liarly appalling.  The  human  groups  that  occupied  the  lawn  had  disap- 
peared, and  in  lieu  of  them,  the  terrific  Alderney  was  racing  about  "  like 
mad"  with  her  head  up,  and  her  tail  bolt  uprioht  and  as  stiff"  as  a  kitchen 
poker.  Driven  to  wildness  by  three  hours'  exposure  to  a  hot  sun,  and  the 
incessant  tormenting  stings  of  inse^cts,  poor  Daisy  had  broken  her  tether, 
or  more  probably  it  had  been  cut  for  her  by  young  Twigg,  and  she  imme- 
diately began  that  headlong  gallop  which  cows  are  apt  to  take  when  goaded 
by  the  breeze-fly.     After  runnin^i  three  heats  round  the  lawn,  she  naturally 


TYI-NEY   HALL.  159 

made  for  the  shades  of  the  shrubbery,  but  being  headed  back  by  the  gen- 
tlemen, she  paused,  and  looked  around  for  an  instant,  as  if  to  consider ; 
and  then,  makinjtj  up  her  mind,  she  suddenly  dashed  off  for  the  only  place 
of  shelter,  and  rushed  headlong  into  the  marquee.  An  awful  crash  en- 
sued. Plate  clattered,  glass  jingled,  and  timber  banged  !  The  canvass 
bulged  fearfully  on  one  side,  and  the  moorings  givin;^  way,  out  rushed 
Daisy^  and  down  fell  the  tent  like  a  clap-net,  decidedly  catching  the  cold 
fowls,  ducks,  and  pigeons  that  were  under  it. 

A  loud  cry  of  a  mixed  character  arose  from  the  spectators  of  this  lament- 
able catastrophe.  The  ladies  screamed  from  terror;  the  expectant  citizens 
bellowed  from  hungry  disappointment,  and  some  of  the  younger  gentle- 
men, amateurs  of  fun,  gave  a  shout  that  sounded  like  a  huzza ! 

"  She 's  upset  the  tables  !"  shrieked  Mrs.  Twigg,  with  her  arms  working 
aloft  like  a  telegraph's. 

"  And  there  goes  every  delicacy  of  the  season,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Twigg, 
gazing  with  the  stupified  aspect  of  an  under- writer  at  a  total  wreck. 

"  The  new  covers "  groaned  the  lady. 

'•All  battered  and  bruised  —  nothing  but  dents  and  bumps,"  added  her 
husband,  in  the  same  tone. 

"And  the  beautiful  cut  glass  —  not  a  bit  of  it  blowed,"  said  the  hostess, 
beginning  to  whimper. 

"Smash'd  —  shivered  to  atoms  —  curse  her  soul!"  cried  the  host,  with 
the  fervour  of  a  believer  in  the  metempsychosis. 

"  My  poor  damask  table-cloths!"  moaned  the  mistress,  with  some  in 
dications  of  her  old  fainting  fits. 

"  Hamstring  her  !  — kill  her  !  knock  her  on  the  head  !"  shouted  Twigg 
dancing  on  his  tiptoes  with  excitement,  and  unconsciously  imitating  the 
action  of  a  slaughter-mo n. 

After  standing  a  minute  at  gaze,  the  cow  had  recommenced  her  career 
about  the  lawn,  causing  a  general  panic,  and  nature's  first  law,  the  sanve 
qui  pent  principle,  triumphed  over  all  others.  Guided  by  this  instinct, 
Twigg  rushed  into  the  greenhouse,  and  resolutely  shut  the  door  against 
the  cow,  as  well  as  against  Mrs.  Twigg,  who  had  made  for  the  same  place 
of  refuge.  The  corpulent  Mr.  Deputy  Dobbs,  by  hard  running,  contrived 
to  place  the  breadth  of  the  fish-pond  between  himself  and  the  "  infuriated 
animal,"  —  the  orchestra  box,  aliaa  the  octagon  summer-house,  was  crowded 
with  company,  —  the  hermitage,  oh,  shade  of  Zimmerman,  what  a  sacri- 
lege !  was  a  perfect  squeeze  ;  and  Flora  had  clambered  up  the  lattice- work 
of  her  temple,  and  sat  shrieking  on  the  top.  All  the  guests  were  in  safety 
but  one  ;  and  every  one  trembled  at  the  probable  (ate  of  Mrs.  Tipper,  who 
had  I)een  sitting  on  the  end  of  a  form,  and  was  not  so  alert  in  jumping  up 
from  it  as  her  jimiors.  The  bench,  on  a  mechanical  principle  well  under- 
stood, immediately  reared  up  and  threw  its  rider  ;  and  before  the  unfortit- 
nate  lady,  as  she  afterwards  averred,  "  could  well  feel  her  feet,  she  saw 
the  rampaging  cretur  come  tearing  at  her,  with  the  black  man  arter  her 
making  her  ten  times  worser." 

The  scared  i\lderney,  however,  in  choosing  her  course,  had  no  design 
against  Mrs.  Tipper,  but  merely  inclined  to  enjoy  a  cold  bath  in  the  fish- 
pond, into  which  she  accordingly  plunged,  accompanied  by  Pompey,  who 
had  just  succeeded,  after  many  attempts,  in  catching  hold  of  the  remnant 
of  her  tether.  In  they  went  —  souse!  — saluted  by  a  chorus  of  laughter 
from  the  orchestra  ;  and  tliere,  floundering  up  to  their  necks  in  water,  the 
black  animal  and  the  red  one  h:iu1;^d  each  other  about,  and  splashed  and 
llashf'd  a';  if  an  aquatic  parody  of  the  combat  of  Guy  of  Warwick  and 
the  Dun  Cow  had  been  [)art  of  the  concerted   entertainments. 

"Confound  the  fellow  —  she'll  be  drovvn'd  !"  cried  an  angry  voice  from 
the  greenhouse. 


160  TYLNEY   HALL.. 

"  His  livery  's  dish'd  and  done  for,"  responded  a  melancholy  voice  froni 
the  hothouse. 

"Oh!  my  gold-fish  will  be  killed!"  cried  a  shrill  tone  from  the  lop  of 
the  temple  ;  while  a  vaccine  bellow  resounded  from  the  pond,  intermingled 
with  a  volley  of  African  jargon,  of  which  only  one  sentence  could  be 
caught,  and  it  intimated  a  new  disaster. 

"  O  ki  !   him  broke  all  de  fishin-rods  and  de  Unes  !" 

As  Pompey  spoke,  he  exchanged  his  grasp  of  tlie  halter,  which  had  be- 
come slippery,  for  a  clutch  at  the  tail ;  an  indignity  the  animal  no  sooner 
felt,  than  with  a  desperate  effort  she  scrambled  out  of  the  pond,  and  dashed 
off  at  full  gallop  towards  the  paddock,  making  a  dreadful  gap  by  the  way 
in  Flora's  display  of  exotics,  whether  in  tubs  or  pots.  As  for  Pompey, 
through  not  timing  his  leap  with  the  cow's,  he  was  left  sprawling  under  the 
rails  of  the  paddock  ;  meanwhile  the  persecuted  Alderney  finally  took 
shelter  under  the  shade  of  the  haystack. 

And  now  the  company,  with  due  caution,  came  abroad  again  from  roof 
and  shed  and  leafy  recess,  like  urchins  after  a  shower.  Twigg  sallied  from 
the  greenhouse,  and  his  helpmate  at  the  .same,  moment  issued  from  the 
forcing-house,  with  a  face  looking  perfectly  ripe;  the  octagon  summer- 
house  sent  forth  a  congregation  like  that  of  a  dwarf  chapel,  —  the  hermit- 
age was  left  to  the  joint  tenancy  of  Raby  and  Grace,  and  Flora  descended 
from  the  roof  of  her  temple,  being  tenderly  assisted  in  her  descent  by  frhe 
enamoured  Ringwood.  By  common  consent  the  company  all  hastened 
towards  the  fallen  marquee,  and  clearing  away  the  canvass,  they  beheld 
the  turf  variously  strewed,  —  exactly  as  if  Time,  —  that  Edax  Rerum, — 
lad  made  a  miscellaneous  meal  which  had  disagreed  with  him. 

In  the  middle  the  tables  lay  on  their  sides  with  their  legs  stretched  out 
like  dead  horses,  and  the  bruised  covers,  and  knives  and  forks,  were  scat- 
tered about  like  the  battered  helmets  and  masterless  weapons  after  a  skir- 
mish of  cavalry.  The  tablecloths  were  dappled  with  the  purple  blood  of 
the  grape  ;  and  the  eatables  and  drinkables  scattered,  battered,  spattered, 
shattered,  and  tattered,  all  round  about,  presented  a  spectacle  equally 
whimsical  and  piteous.  The  following  are  but  a  few  of  the  objects  which 
the  Hon.  Mr.  Danvers  beheld  when  he  looked  on. 

Item.  A  huge  cold  round  of  beef,  surrounded  by  the  froth  of  a  trifle,  Hke 
an  island  "  begirt  with  foam,"  with  a  pigeon  perched  on  the  top  instead  ot 
a  cormorant. 
Item.  A  large  lobster,  roosting  on  a  branch  of  an  epergne. 
Item.  A  roast  duck,  seemingly  fast  asleep,  with  a  cream  cheese  for  a 
mattrass  and  a  cucumber  for  a  bolster. 

Item.  Brawn,  in  an  ample  writing-paper  ruff,  well  sprinkled  with  claret, 
regiinding  the  spectator  irresistibly  of  the  neck  of  King  Charles  theTi'irst. 
Item.  Tipsy-cake,  appropriately  under  the  table. 

Item.  A  puddle  of  cold  punch,  and  a  neat's  tongue  apparently  licking 
it  up. 

Item.  A  noble  ham,  briUiantly  powdered  with  broken  glass. 
Item.  A  boiled  rabbit  smothered  in  custard. 
Item.  A  lump  of  6/ajic-mange  dyed  purple. 
Item.  A  shoal  of  prawns  in  an  ocean  of  lemonade. 
Item.  A  very  fine  boiled  turkey  in  a  harlequn  suit  of  lobster-salad. 
Item.  A  ship  of  sugar-candy,  high  and  dry  on  a  fillet  of  veal. 
Item.  A  "  hedge-hog"  sitting  on  a  "  hen's  nest."     Vide  Mrs.  Glasse*a 
Cookery  for  these  confectionary  devices. 

Item.  "  A  floating  island,"  as  a  new  constellation,  amongst  "  the  moon 
and  stars  in  jelly."     See  Mrs.  Glasse  again. 

Item.  A  large  pound  crab,  sitting  upright  against  a  table,  and  nursing  a 
chicken  between  its  claws. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  161 

Item.  A  collared  eel,  uncoiled,  and  threatening  like  a  boa  constrictor  to 
swallow  a  fowl. 

Item.  A  Madeira  pond,  in  a  dish  cover,  with  a  duck  drowned  in  it. 

Itrin.  A  pig's  face,  with  a  snout  smelling  at  a  bunch  of  artificial  flowers. 

Item.  A  leg  of  lamb,  as  yellow  as  the  leg  of  a  boy  at  Christ's  hospital, 
thanks  to  the  mustard-pot. 

Item.  A  tongue  all  over  "  flummery." 

Item.  An  immense  Macedoine  of  all  the  fruits  of  the  season,  jumbled 
together  in  jatn,  jelly,  and  cream. 

Such  were  some  of  the  objects,  interspersed  with  Serpentines  of  sherry, 
Peerless  Pools  of  port,  and  New  Rivers  of  Madeira,  that  saluted  the  eyes 
of  the  expectant  guests,  thus  untimely  reduced  to  the  feast  of  reason  and 
the  flow  of  soul.  The  unfortunate  hostess  appeared  ready  to  drop  on  the 
spot;  but,  according  to  Major  Oakley's  theory,  she  refrained  from  fainting 
among  so  many  broken  bottles  ;  whilst  Twigg  stood  with  the  very  aspect 
and  attiludc  of  a  baker's  journeyman,  we  once  saw,  just  after  a  stumble, 
wliich  had  pitched  five  rice-puddings,  two  custard  ditto,  a  gooseberry  pie,  a 
currant  tart,  and  two  dozen  cheesecakes  into  a  reservoir  of  M'Adams'a 
broth  from  flints.  The  swamping  of  his  collation  on  the  ait  in  the  Thames 
was  a  retail  concern  to  this  enormous  wreck.  His  eyebrows  worked,  his 
eyes  rolled,  his  lips  quivered  with  inaudible  curses,  and  his  fingers  twitched, 
as  if  eager  to  be  doing  something,  but  waiting  for  orders  from  the  will ;  he 
was  divided,  in  truth,  between  a  dozen  rival  impulses,  suggesting  to  him, 
all  at  once,  to  murder  the  cow,  to  thrash  Pompey,  to  quarrel  with  his  wife, 
to  disinherit  his  son,  to  discharge  the  cooks,  to  order  every  body's  carriage, 
lo  send  Matilda  back  to  boarding-school,  to  go  to  bed  suddenly  ill,  to  run 
away  God  knew  where,  to  hang  himself  on  the  pear-tree,  to  drown  himseli 
in  the  fish-pond,  to  burn  the  marquee,  to  turn  Infidel  and  deny  a  Provi- 
dence, to  get  dead  drunk. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  in  some  of  these  instances  his  aim  was  directed 
against  very  innocent  individuals  ;  but  a  man  in  a  passion  is  never  particu- 
lar, any  more  than  a  hasty  bottle  of  ginger-pop,  as  to  who  or  what  is  to 
sufl^er  by  his  effervescence.  Calmer  counsels,  however,  prevailed  ;  and, 
assisted  by  Mrs.  Twigg  and  Pompey,  he  set  to  work  like  a  Cornish 
wrecker,  to  save  all  he  could  of  the  cargo.  The  bloodiest  battle  leaves 
some  of  the  soldiers  alive;  and  a  decanter  or  two,  a  few  glasses,  plates, 
dishes,  and  other  breakables,  remained  miraculously  unhurt  amidst  the 
general  havoc ;  a  sufficient  freight,  indeed,  for  the  butler's  tray,  which 
Pompey  volunteered  to  carry  into  the  house  ;  but  barely  had  the  unlucky 
negro  set  foot  on  the  threshold,  when,  with  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  he 
dropped  the  whole  brittle  load  at  the  feet  of  the  brown  woman  ;  and,  in  ano- 
ther second,  Pompey  lay  sprawling  himself  amidst  the  fragments,  by  a 
blow  from  her  redoubtable  hand. 

After  this  exploit,  the  Glueen  of  the  Gipsies  sprang  down  the  steps,  and, 
with  the  air  of  Moll  Fla^gon,  danced  and  pranced  along  the  lawn  to  the 
scene  of  havoc  just  described,  where  she  began  to  amuse  herself  like  a  bed- 
lamite broken  out  of  confinement.  First  of  all,  she  bowled  a  round  of  cold 
beef  across  the  grass-plat,  and  then  she  sent  a  fillet  of  veal  trundlino;  after 
it.  Next,  seizing  the  gardener,  who  was  collecting  the  frairments  of  the 
ff\ist,  she  forced  him  to  dance  a  round  with  her,  ending  the  waltz  with  a 
trip  up  that  laid  the  horticulturist  on  his  back  ;  anon,  after  a  little  game  at 
foot-ball  with  a  fowl,  she  threw  all  the  cold  ducks,  one  after  another,  into 
the  fish-pond. 

The  com[)any  in  general  stood  aghast  at  this  outrageous  conduct,  and 
wondered  wliat  cliaracter  it  was  intended  to  keep  up  ;  whilst  others,  better 
acquainted  with  the  brown  woman,  scarcely  marvelled  at  her  violence,  but 
felt  proportionably  anxious  as  to  its  ultimate  <'xtent.     Mrs.  Twigg  ran  in 


16a  TYLNEV   HALL. 

doors  to  faint  in  her  own  room.  Matilda  prepared  to  mount  to  the  top  o! 
her  temple  ;  the  ladies  retreated  to  the  octagon  summer-house  and  the  her- 
mitage, whilst  Squire  Ned,  remembering  the  woman's  parliaUty  for  sharp 
blades,  judiciously  caught  up  a  brace  of  carvers  from  the  grass,  in  case  she 
should  again  resort,  like  Palafox,  to  "  war  to  the  knife." 

"  Stop  her !  seize  her!  take  her  up  in  the  King's  name!"  cried  Twigg, 
as  he  took  refuge  behind  Mr.  Justice  Rivers,  who  was  settling  in  his  own 
mind  the  maximum  of  legal  punishment  he  could  inflict  for  this  new  oflTeuce 
against  social  order. 

"To  her,  boys!  to  her!"  shouted  the  gallant  Sir  Mark,  with  a  corres- 
ponding movement  towards  the  intruder  ;  but  before  he  had  gone  half  way, 
a  mask  was  plucked  off,  the  womanly  dress  was  doffed,  and,  instead  of  the 
Clueen  of  the  Gipsies,  he  beheld  Twigg,  junior,  leering  at  him  with  a  pan- 
tomimical  grimace,  and  in  an  attitude  borrowed  from  the  Grimaldi  of  that 
period. 

"The  old  fable,  by  Jove!"  muttered  the  Baronet,  as  he  stopped  short, 
"only  the  ass  has  put  on  a  tigress's  skin  instead  of  a  lion's." 

The  cub  replied  only  by  a  harlequin  roll  of  the  head  ;  but  it  was  an  im- 
prudent feat  to  be  performed  by  one  whose  brain  was  already  whirling  of 
its  own  accord ;  for,  like  certain  precocious  bibbers,  who  contrive  to  fuddle 
themselves  before  the  dinner-cloth  is  removed,  he  had  managed  to  be  over- 
taken before  others  had  set  out ;  the  natural  consequence  of  this  extra 
spinning  was  a  sudden  giddiness,  and  after  a  desperate  stagger,  he  added 
his  bulk  to  the  general  mass  of  articles  which,  in  commercial  language,  had 
experienced  a  considerable  fall. 

The  wrath  of  Twigg  was  at  its  climax.  All  his  terror  had  turned  to  rage, 
and  he  seemed  ready  for  any  extravagance  ;  indeed,  he  was  only  withheld 
by  main  force  from  hiflicting  on  the  culprit  a  paternal  pummelling.  Nothing, 
however,  could  prevent  hi^  railing ;  and  he  actually  raved  at  the  offender, 
vowing  to  starve  him,  to  make  a  beggar  of  him,  to  kick  him  out  of  the  firm, 
and  to  cut  him  off  with  a  shilling — ^and  a  bad  shilling,  too,  if  he  coined  one 
for  the  purpose.  He  made  him  over,  bones,  blood,  and  limbs,  to  the  gal- 
lows, to  the  grave,  to  the  devil. 

"Pooh,  pooh,  pooh!"  interposed  the  oracular  Deputy  Dcbbs  ;  "wine, 
is  wine,  and  a  frolic  is  a  frolic.  Youth  is  youth,  and  we  were  all  young 
once," 

"Young!"  ejaculated  Twigg,  "I  wish  he  had  never  been  a  day  old  ! 
I  wish  he  'd  been  still-born  !  I  do  n't  know  what  he 's  had,  but  I  wish  it 
had  choked  him  !" 

"  Pooh,  pooh,  pooh !"  repeated  the  Deputy.  "  Blood  's  blood,  a  son  is  a 
son,  and  a  father  is  a  father." 

"  I  know  all  that,"  retorted  Twigg  ;  "  but  do  n't  go  to  excuse  him  ;  pray 
don't,  for  it's  inexcusable.  Only  put  yourself  in  my  place.  Here  I  am, 
with  every  thing  respectable  about  me,  —  a  man  of  property .-  and  where  's 
my  son  and  heir,  that's  to  come  into  it  when  I'm  gone?  Why  going  to 
bed,  confound  him,  intoxicated  —  intoxicated  by  three  o'clock. 

"  Pooh,  pooh,  pooh,"  said  the  Deputy. 

"I  should  n't  mind,"  continued  Twigg,  "if  he  made  a  beast  of  himself 
like  a  gentleman.  I 've  seen  the  genteelest  people  get  tipsy  towards  tea:- 
timo.  But  here  he  is,  unsober  before  dinner ;  no  manners,  no  breeding,  no 
nothmg.  Is  any  body  drunk  but  him  ?  No,  says  you,  not  a  soul ;  and  com- 
mon pol  teness  would  dictate,  the  visiters  first." 

In  this  strain  the  indignant  Ex-Sheriff  was  eloquently  proceeding,  when, 
suddenly,  a  drop  of  rain,  as  big  as  a  bullet,  fell  splashing  on  the  bald  head 
of  the  deputy ;  and  then  came  a  flash  of  lightning  so  vivid,  and  a  clap  of 
thunder  so  astounding,  that  in  his  confusion  the  host  himself  led  a  retreat 
into  the  house,  followed  bj  the  company  en  masse,  the  gardener  and  Pom- 


TYLNET   HALL.  163 

pey,  loaded  with  the  helpless  carcass  of  Twi^;;;,  junior,  brin;^ing  up  Ije 
rear.  The  cub  was  immediateh'^  consigned  to  iiis  chamber,  with  a  fervent 
parental  wish  that  he  might  be  bed-ridden  for  a  month  to  come  :  but  the 
mother,  who  had  recovered  from  her  swoon,  fell  into  a  fit  of  tenderness,  and 
apoloirizcd  that  her  poor  son,  being  so  close  confined  to  business,  was  apt 
when  be  had  a  day's  pleasure  to  overdo  himself  "It  will  be  a  frightful 
storm,"  she  added,  as  a  fiery  iz/ard  seemed  written  on  the  distant  sky,  "  but, 
thank  .e;oodness,  here  we  all  are,  with  a  good  roof  over  our  heads." 

"Not  all;  yonder  are  some  that  want  the  whipper-in,"  whispered  Sir 
Mark  to  the  Justice,  at  the  same  time  directing  his  attention  to  the  win- 
dow ;  and  the  Magistrate's  brow  darkened  to  match  the  Baronet's,  as  Grace 
was  seen  leaning  on  Raby's  arm,  and  Miss  Twigg  actually  clinging  to 
Rino-wood,  in  their  progress  towards  the  house.  The  two  fathers  exchanged 
a  f^loomy  and  significant  glance,  nor  did  their  features  brighten  when  at  the 
make-shift  banquet  which  followed,  the  same  couples  chose  to  sit  together, 
evidently  enjoying  the  casual  dearth  of  glass  and  china  that  compelled 
Grace  and  Raby  to  take  wine  fromthe  same  tumbler,  and  Flora  and  her 
votary  to  partake  of  fruit  with  only  one  desert  plate  between  them.  The 
countenance  of  Mrs.  Twigg,  on  the  contrary,  beamed  with  joy  and  triumph 
at  witnessing  the  hopeful  flirtation  of  Matilda  with  the  heir  of  the  Hall; 
and  her  portrait  taken  at  that  moment  would  make  an  appropriate  and  ad- 
mirable frontispiece  to  the  little  volume  entitled  "  Maternal  Solicitude  for  a 
Daughter's  best  Interests."  It  was  not,  therefore,  without  a  torrent  of  en- 
treaties, reproaches,  and  regrets,  from  the  mo'her,  and  some  poutings  from 
the  younnf  lady,  that  the  Baronet  was  allovved  to  order  his  carriage  the  mo- 
ment the  storm  abated  ;  and  the  Justice  followed  his  example. 

These  departures  threw  an  increased  gloom  over  the  company,  which 
TwiiiT  in  vain  tried  to  dissipate.  Music  was  prepared,  and  the  carpet  wa3 
taken  up.  Matilda  was  sulky,  and  wouldn't  sing,  and  Mr.  Hopkinsor 
could  n't,  through  a  cold  caught  in  the  octagon  summer-house.  Mrs.  Filb]' 
was  grumpy  about  her  satin  gown,  observing,  with  an  angry  glance  at  Alisa 
Sparkes,  that  if  people  must  jump  at  claps  of  thunder,  they  need  n't  jump 
their  jellies  into  other  people's  laps  ;  and  the  pedagogue  of  Prospect  House 
was  weary  of  uttering  classical  jokes  at  which  nobody  laughed.  The  Ho- 
nourable Mr.  Danvers  began  to  tire  of  looking  on.  Deputy  Dobbs  was  dis- 
appointed of  his  accustomed  speechifying,  for  in  spite  of  all  his  hints,  Twigg 
set  his  face  against  toasts,  not  liking  probably  to  bid  gentlemen  charge 
their  glasses  who  had  so  few  to  charge.  The  rest  of  the  Londoners  began 
to  calculate  the  distance  of  the  metropolis.  Doctor  Cobb  had  been  huffed 
by  Mr.  Figgins  in  a  dispute  about  politics;  Squire  Ned,  for  the  last  half 
hour,  had  been  making  up  his  mind  to  steal  away  ;  and  even  the  Crumpe 
family,  who  had  come  early  on  purpose  to  enjoy  a  long  day,  began  to  agree 
in  their  own  minds,  that  it  was  the  longest  they  had  ever  known.  In  short, 
every  body  found  some  good  reason  for  going,  and  successively  they  took 
leave.  Doctor  Bsllamy  being  the  last  of  the  guests  that  departed,  whereby 
he  had  the  pleasure,  and  to  Old  Formality  it  loas  a  pleasure,  of  bowing  them 
all  out. 

As  the  last  pair  of  wheels  rattled  away,  Mrs.  Twigg  dropped  into  a 
chair,  and  began  to  relieve  her  feelings  by  having  what  she  called  a  good 
cry.  At  the  same  moment  Twigg  threw  off  his  coat,  and  seizing  plate, 
ktiifc,  and  fork,  began  eating  like  a  glutton  for  a  wager,  occasionally  wash- 
ing down  ham,  beef,  veal,  chicken,  jelly,  tarts,  and  fruit,  with  great  gulps 
of  Ijrandy  and  water.  As  for  Matilda,  she  threw  herself  on  a  sofa,  as  flat, 
inanimate,  and  faded,  as  the  Flora  of  a  Hortus  Siccus. 

Thus  ended  a  fete  especially  devoted  to  enjoyment,  but  where  the  spirit 
of  the  work  did  not  answer  to  its  dedication.  Prem'xiitated  pleasures  fre- 
cicnlly  terminate  m  disappointment;   fo"  mirtli  and  glee  do  not  always  caro 


Ifi4  TYLNEY    HALL. 

to  accept  a  ceremonious  invitation  ;  they  are  friendly  familar  creatures  tha 
lOve  to  drop  in.  To  use  a  mercantile  metaphor,  bills  at  long  dates  upon 
happiness  are  apt  to  be  dishonoured  when  due. 

On  the  morrow,  John  the  coachman  found  himself  out  of  a  situation, 
whilst  Twigg,  junior,  was  provided  with  a  place  on  the  roof  of  the  Hio;h- 
(lyer  on  its  road  to  the  mehopolis.  Pompcy  was  threatened  also  with  dis- 
missal, but  as  black  servants  are  not  as  plenty  as  blackberries,  the  dis- 
charge was  not  made  out ;  whereas,  the  gardener,  shocked  at  the  havoc 
among  his  exotics,  and  annoyed  by  the  nickname  of  Jerry  Blossom,  which 
his  fancy  dress  had  entailed  on  him,  gave  warning  of  his  own  accord.  The 
COOK  received  a  message  from  her  mistress,  who  was  kept  in  bed  by  a  ner- 
vous complaint,  that  she  might  suit  herself  as  soon  as  she  pleased;  the 
dairy-maid  received  a  sijgnificant  hint  from  the  same  source,  that  she  must 
butter  the  family  better  if  she  wished  to  stay  in  it ;  and  to  Dolly's  deep  re- 
gret, her  favourite  Daisy,  with  a  bad  character  for  gentleness,  was  driven 
off  to  the  nearest  market  to  be  sold  peremptorily  for  what  she  would  fetch. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

What  I  have  told  you  by  my  inspiration,  I  tell  you  once  again,  must  and  shall  find 
you. 

The  Prophets. 

Alas,  to  think  thafLove  decays, 
And  Friendship  wears  the  length  of  days, 
And  hands  disjoin,  and  heartsdiscover. 
But  hate  lives,  grows,  and  lasts  for  ever. 

Taklton. 

If  all  the  fathers  and  mothers  in  the  world  were  but  dead,  what  a  merry  life  would  love 
ead  !  No  churlish  dad,  nor  crabbed  dam,  to  snub  it  and  flout  it,  and  rail  at  it,  till  Cu 
pi4  is  fain  to  skulk  about  in  dark  corners,  with  his  wings  up  to  his  ears  like  a  moping 
owl. 

Cupid  crossed. 

The  vigilance  which  the  brown  woman  had  pledged  herself  to  exercise 
on  the  Creole's  behalf,  kept  pace  with  her  promise.  When  St.  Kitts  leaped 
over  the  fence  of  Twigg's  pleasure  grounds,  the  first  object  he  beheld  on 
alighting  on  his  feet  was  Marguerite,  who  had  apparently  been  listening 
and  watching  the  progress  of  the  fete  through  a  crevice  in  the  paling.  As 
she  turned  her  head  towards  him,  her  brow  was  flushed,  and  her  eyes  were 
unusually  bright  and  fierce,  probably  from  her  havingbeen  a  witness  of  the 
indignity  so  recently  offered  to  her  foster-son.  She  hastily  caught  his  arm, 
and  with  a  precautionary  finger  on  her  lip,  drew  him  aside  to  some  distance. 
At  last  she  stopped,  and  addressed  him  in  a  tone  of  mockery  that  matched 
ivith  her  v/ords. 

"  We  are  out  of  sight  and  ear-shot  in  this  thicket.  And  now,  why  does 
Walter  Tyrrel  shun  the  company  of  his  equals  and  inferiors,  and  leave 
Grace  Rivers  to  the  uninterrupted  attentions,  and  perhaps  caresses,  of  his 
rival  ?" 

*'  Let  Ringwood  answer  that,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  glance  ai  his 
clothes,  glossy  with  wet ;  *'  I  am  dripping  from  top  to  toe. 

"  So  much  the  better,"  said  the  woman,  with  a  long  and  freezing  look. 
"It  is  a  new  baptism.  This  sprinkling  names  you  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel.  Put 
up  with  this,  and.the  puniest  school-boy  shall  make  you  a  mark  for  his  six- 
Denny  squirt." 

"Be  at  rest,  Marguerite,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  significant  nod  and  a 


TYLNEY    HALL.  165 

bitter  smile.  "You  are  spurring  the  willing  horse.  My  birth  cleared,  Ring- 
wood  lias  promised  to  meet  me." 

"  He  shall  meet  me  first,"  exclaimed  the  woman,  shaking  her  hand  alott, 
as  if  it  brandished  its  familiar  knife.  "Twice,  aye,  thrice  have  you  been 
foiled  by  his  arm,  and  would  you  now  meet  him  on  equal  terms  ?  But  what 
do  I  talk  of  equal  terms  ?  Has  he  a  mother  to  weep  for  him  ?  Has  he  a 
foster-mother  even,  to  break  her  heart  for  him,  and  die  in  his  death  ?  Is 
there  a  poor,  lone,  desolate,  wretched  woman,  that  will  lose  her  al'  in 
Ringwood,  her  last  joy,  her  last  treasure  on  earth,  and  all  the  dearer  to  her 
that  she  has  no  puling-  hope  of  joy  or  treasure  in  heaven  ?  Will  a  shrieking 
voice  be  heard  in  the  wilderness  of  the  world,  crying  Marguerite,  Mar- 
guerite, where  is  my  son  —  you  have  let  him  venture  his  precious  life-blood 
against  a  red  puddle?  ?s^o,  Waiter  Tyrrel,  I  will  have  no  duel.  When 
you  strike,  you  shall  strike  safely  ;  but  the  hour  is  not  come.  Be  fair  and 
smooth  till  then." 

'*  And  the  papers,"  said  the  Creole  ;   "  shall  I  not  prove  my  birth  ?" 

"When  others  have  proved  their  death,"  was  the  emphatic  answer. 
"  Those  papers  were  given  but  for  the  present  ease  of  your  mind  ;  and  now 
go,  for  my  watch  is  not  over.  Ponder  the  future  and  the  past;.  Remember 
what  expelled  you  from  yonder  garden,  and  remember  whom  you  left  behind. 
Remember,  but  seem  to  forget." 

After  these  words,  and  her  accustomed  embrace,  she  departed,  and  St. 
Kitts  saw  her  go  warily  and  resume  her  former  position  against  the  paling. 
He  then  returned  by  a  short  cut  across  the  fields  to  the  Hall,  where  he 
changed  his  wet  clothes  for  dry  ones,  and  obtained  a  dose  of  mulled  wine 
from  old  Deborah,  by  help  of  which,  and  a  book,  he  had  regained  a  tolerable 
state  of  comfort  and  composure  when  the  family  returned.  The  old  plea 
of  indisposition  ser\^ed  to  account  to  the  Baronet  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  for  his 
abrupt  departure  from  Hollin^ton  ;  and  his  cousins  did  not  think  proper  to 
impeach  the  validity  of  the  excuse.  Neither  did  St.  Kitts  take  any  more 
notice  of  the  affair  ;  for  an  explanation,  and  the  discovery  of  young  Twigg^s 
part  in  it,  would  be  likely  to  draw  an  apology  from  the  open-hearted  Ring- 
wood  ;  and  the  Creole  did  not  desire  even  this  fraction  of  atonement  to  be 
set  off  against  the  gross  sum  of  wrong  which  stood  over  for  final  retribution. 
Accordingly  he  conducted  himself  towards  one  brother,  as  though  he  had 
only  been  the  sufferer  in  a  boyish  frolic  ;  and  to  the  other,  as  if  love,  rivalry, 
and  Grace  Rivers,  had  no  earthly  existence.  "  Fair  dnd  smooth,"  he 
repeated  mentally,  "fair  and  smooth  —  aye,  I  will  be  as  fair  and  smooth  to 
them,  as  thin  ice  beneath  their  feet." 

In  this  mock  harmony  they  returned  to  college ;  whither  the  heir  and 
hope  of  the  Hall  repaired  with  equal  resolutions  to  live  and  learn  ;  but  his 
fondness  for  sporting  prevailed,  and  the  latter  design  was  but  too  soon 
added  as  another  stone  to  that  awful  floor  which,  according  to  Dr.  Johnson, 
is  paved  with  good  intentions.  The  new  attachment  which  R.aby  carried 
with  him,  on  the  contrary,  rather  fostered  than  interfered  with  his  love  'i^ 
literature,  and  he  laboured  hard  to  win  academical  honours,  in  order  to  .«  y 
them  at  the  feet  of  his  mistress  ;  —  but  to  the  gloomy  passion  that  accom 
panied  the  Creole  all  others  were  postponed.  It  grew  singly  and  with  pro- 
oortionate  luxuriance,  and,  under  the  undivided  culture  of  his  mind,  hate 
tnreatened  to  become  a  Upas-tree  of  no  ordinary  magnitude. 

In  the  mean  time  the  engagement  entered  into  by  the  young  Ipvers  was 
kept  a  secret  from  their  parents,  a  course  to  which  both  Grace  and  Raby 
were  influenced  by  those  vague  misgivings  which,  like  summer  clouds,  will 
sometimes  assemble  and  lower  in  the  brightest  and  bluest  skies.  A  belief 
in  what  are  called  presentiments  is  commonly  treated  as  the  superstition  of - 
a  weak  mind  ;  nevertheless,  those  who  attach  weight  to  such  forebodings 
have  some  foundation  for  their  creed.  The  young  and  enthusiastic  espe- 
7—5 


166  TYLNEY    HALL. 

cially  are  subject  to  such  gloomy  augury,  but  which  may  be  traced  to  a  very 
natural  cause,  namely,  the  revulsion  of  over-excited  feeling,  and  the  reaction 
of  extravagant  fancy,  exaggerated  hopes,  and  impracticable  schemings. 
The  mosl  buoyant  spirit  will  sometimes  droop,  the  strongest  pinion  will 
flag  in  a  long  flight,  and  hope  be  outworn  by  her  own  aspirings.  In  these 
calmer  pauses,  the  mind,  like  a  poet  when  his  "  fine  frenzy"  is  over,  sets 
itself  soberly  to  review  its  work,  and,  as  well  as  the  author,  is  fain  to  reject 
here  and  there  a  vicious  conceit,  to  amend  a  disjointed  argument,  and  to 
abate  some  hyperbolical  flourishes.  Thus  Utopian  views  of  life  are  sad- 
dened down  to  the  tone  of  reality,  and  the  distempered  enthusiast,  darken- 
ing with  his  dream,  instead  of  tracing  the  influence  of  judgment  and  reason 
in  the  change,  attributes  his  ominous  depression  to  supernatural  agency. 
To  say,  therefore,  that  the  lovers  mutually  laboured  under  a  presentiment 
of  future  evil,  implies  merely  that  reflection  had  thrown  shadows  of  doubt 
and  difficulty  in  the  way  of  a  passion,  the  course  of  which,  according  to 
familiar  tradition,  never  did  run  smooth  ;  the  possibility  of  parental  dis- 
approbation had  especially  suggested  itself  as  a  contingent  obstacle,  and 
several  trivial  circumstances  had  concurred  to  establish  the  impression  that 
both  fathers  were  to  be  numbered  among  the  lions  in  their  path.  The 
mutual  flame,  lest  it  should  flash  on  the  eyes  of  the  Baronet  or  the  Justice, 
was  consequently  carried  in  a  dark  lantern.  To  one  person  only  did  the 
betrothed  confide  their  engagement  ;  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  had  suffered  the 
misery  of  enforced  vows  too  acutely  in  her  own  person  to  wish  to  cross 
true  love,  or  even  to  cast  a  gloom  over  its  first  young  dream.  Moreover, 
though  not  a  professed  match-maker,  the  union  of  her  two  favourites  was 
the  very  one  that  her  own  wishes  would  have  induced.  She  concurred, 
therefore,  in  their  plan  of  secrecy  ;  but  at  the  same  time  hermetically  sealed 
up  from  tliem  her  knowledge  of  Sir  Mark's  matrimonial  project,  in  the 
confident  anticipation  that  it  would  be  defeated  by  the  headstrong  wilfulness 
of  Ringwood,  whose  growing  partiality  for  Miss  Twigg  had  not  escaped 
her  penetration.  It  required  all  her  influence,  in  the  mean  time,  to  restrain 
her  brother  from  interfering  with  the  compulsory  dog-couples  in  his  hand, 
for  he  had  some  dim  suspicion  of  his  son  and  heir's  pursuit  ;  but  Ringwood 
was  young,  and  the  fox-hunter  flattered  himself  he  could  take  him  up  at 
anytime,  like  a  puppy,  and  break  him  from  Matilda,  and  enter  him  at  Grace. 
On  the  other  hand.  Justice  Rivers,  with  his  extreme  notions  of  the  divine 
right  of  parents,  and  the  obligation  of  passive  obedience  on  children,  relied 
implicitly  on  his  own  authority  in  case  of  any  refractory  affection  on  the 
part  of  his  daushter,  being  fully  determined  that  if  she  did  not  follow  his 
lead,  her  ace  of  hearts,  so  to  speak,  should  be  trumped  by  his  own  ace  of 
spades  —  the  paramount  card  that  ostentatiously  imposes  a  duty  on  all  the 
rest  of  the  pack. 

Such  was  the  aspect  of  the  domestic  planets  at  the  return  of  the  collegians 
to  Oxford,  and  from  this  period  the  family  archives,  in  recording  two  unim- 
portant years,  may  be  supposed  to  present  only  as  many  rows  of  asterisks, 
emblematical  of  those  fixed  stars  which  are  supposed  to  exercise  no  peculiar 
influence  over  the  destinies  of  mankind.  As  in  travelling,  you  come  occa- 
sionally to  some  barren  moor,  fen,  or  weary  waste,  some  Salisbury  Plain, 
where  you  are  fain  to  lean  back  in  your  carriage  and  get  rid  of  the  mono- 
tonous prospect  by  help  of  a  doze ;  so  in  journeying  through  human  life, 
blank  stages  will  sometimes  occur,  deserving  little  passing  notice  or  future 
record.  *fn  such  cases  the  historian  may  be  allowed  to  take  a  nap,  merely 
looking  out  occasionally  to  report  progress,  instead  of  watching  and  describ- 
ing every  milestone  as  though  it  were  a  Stonehenge.  Or  let  it  be  supposed 
that  we  have  now  come  to  a  favourable  level,  or  bit  of  hospital  ground,  in 
the  language  of  the  road,  where  a  judicious  whip  always  makes  play,  and 
retrieve's  by  a  gallop  the  time  he  must  lose  in  ascending  and  descending 


TYLNET  HALL.  167 

bills  at  other  parts  of  the  journey.  Away  go  the  four  bloods,  and  as  the 
inside  passenger  looks  through  the  coach  window  he  sees  objects  flitting  by 
so  rapidly  that  with  an  optical  delusion  rivalling  the  phantascope,  a  stone- 
breaker  seems  transformed  into  a  cow  in  the  pound,  and  a  crow  on  a  com- 
mon mto  a  cur  at  a  CLrtlage-door.  The  reader,  hurried  on  with  similar 
velocity  over  a  flat  of  two  years,  will  not  therefore  wonder  in  a  few  sen- 
tences to  find  the  heir  of  the  Hall  arrived  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  majority, 
and  the  studious  Raby  invested,  in  as  short  a  space,  with  an  academical 
decree  ;  the  former  having  pursued  his  studies  so  negligently  as  nearly  to 
fulfil  the  prophecy  of  Dr.  Burdock,  by  being  plucked,  whereas  the  latter 
had  applied  himself  to  learning  with  such  unrcjnitting  devotion  as  to  mate- 
rially impair  his  health.  The  progress  of  the  Creole  had  kept  pace  with 
Ringwood's :  his  mind  had  been  given  up  to  baneful  aspirations  in  which 
the  iSIuses  had  no  part ;  and  Jenkins,  the  tutor,  in  addressing  Sir  r\Iark  on 
resigning  his  charge,  was  glad  to  lose  sight  of  the  deficiencies  of  two  pupils 
in  his  congratulations  on  Uie  success  of  the  third.  But  whatever  might  be 
their  individual  oblii^ations  to  the  University,  Ringwood  was  the  most 
indebted  to  Oxford,  for  he  owed  a  sum  there  that  he  only  cared  to  confess, 
as  some  people  pay,  by  instalments,  and  he  had  only  thus  owned  to  about 
fifty  per  cent,  of  the  amount,  when  the  Baronet  became  so  angry  that  this 
prodiijal  son  was  glad  to  accept  a  voluntary  oflTer  from  Squire  Ned,  to  lend 
him  the  rest  till  he  came  into  his  own.  The  excesses  by  which  tliese  bills 
had  been  incurred'  had  in  vain  been  deprecated  by  the  more  prudent  Raby, 
but  his  remonstrances  and  entreaties  produced  no  other  effect  than  to  ren- 
der their  accustomed  bickerings  more  bitter  and  frequent  than  ever,  and, 
thanks  to  the  skilful  stirring  up  of  .St.  Kitts,  their  brotherlybroils  were  never 
done  by  a  slow  fire.  The  Creole's  own  temper  indeed  began  to  give  way 
under  the  capricious  dominion  of  his  foster-mother,  who,  by  alternately 
checking  and  spurring,  had  at  length  put  him  completely  on  the  fret;  and 
while  he  exulted  in  the  sound  of  contest  between  his  cousins,  he  chafed  at 
the  curb  which  restrained  him  from  plunging  at  once  into  the  fray.  During 
the  last  two  years  many  items  of  wrong  and  insult  had  been  added  to  the 
dark  columns  he  kept,  in  anticipation  of  a  day  of  reckoning  ;  and,  by  the 
fiendish  estimate  of  revenge,  the  amovmt,  like  the  national  debt,  seemed 
getting  too  vast  to  be  redeemed.  His  fate  for  life,  moreover,  was  coming  to 
its  crisis.  A  general  war  was  raging  throughout  Europe,  and  Sir  Mark  had 
not  altered  his  intention  of  introducing  his  nephew  into  the  army,  a  profes- 
sion for  which  St.  Kitts  had  a  peculiar  distaste,  without  a  particular  relish 
for  any  other.  It  was  with  no  military  view  then  that  at  Oxford,  in  lieu  of 
more  scholastic  acquirements,  he  had  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  fencing, 
and  with  such  earnestness  of  purpose  and  incessant  practice,  that  he  became 
as  perfect  a  master  of  the  sword  as  Angelo  himself 

To  the  Baronet,  the  Creole's  classical  acquirements  were  matter  of  indif- 
ferent :  he  conceived  that  a  knowledge  of  Greek  and  R,oman  taclics  could 
be  of  little  service  to  a  general  since  the  invention  of  gunpowder,  and  was 
content  that  his  nephew  should  have  the  credit  of  having  beenlo  college; 
whereas  the  deficiencies  of  his  son  and  heir  gave  him  a  great  deal  of  pain, 
and  consequently  Ringwood  found  himself  out  of  his  father's  favour.  But 
this  was  a  saddle  he  soon  regained  ;  and  the  inferior  figure  he  made  among 
the  black  coats  was  forgotten  in  the  pre-eminence  which  he  di  =  [-hiyed 
amongst  those  of  scarlet  or  green.  The  literary  honours  of  Raby,  in  spite 
of  the  contrast  they  suggested,  were,  however,  a  source  of  both  pride  and 
gratification  to  his  parent;  but  the  wan  thin  cheeks,  dim  eyes,  and  attenu- 
ated figure  that  deposed  to  the  severity  of  his  study,  excited  Sir  Mark's 
serious  displeasure.  He  insisted  more  peremptorily  than  ever  that  the 
bookworm  should  betake  himself  to  the  sports  of  the  field;  and  Mrs.  Ha- 
milton strenuously  recommended  the  same  course,  not  merely  for  healths' 


168  TYLNEY    HALL. 

sake,  but  that  the  son  might  propitiate  the  father,  to  whose  matrimf>- 
nial  plan  he  was  unconsciously  running  counter;  above  all,  Grace  herself 
urn^ed  the  change  so  earnestly,  that  Raby,  with  a  smile  and  a  sigh,  pro- 
mised to  study  the  part,  and  appear  in  this  new  character  in  the  domestic 
drama. 

In  the  mean  time  the  God  of  Love  plied  peaceably  between  the  Hall  and 
Hawksley  and  Hollington,  without  any  hostile  interruption  from  the  God 
of  Marriage.  Strange  as  such  a  collision  may  appear  between  Cupid  and 
Hymen,  it  is  too  certain  that  in  modern  times  these  twin  torch-bearers 
sometimes  wrangle  and  fight  before  a  lady  and  gentleman,  like  a  pair  of 
dirty  little  blackgua-d  link-boys  contending  for  a  customer.  Thanks  to  a 
succession  of  murders,  arsons,  treasons,  burglaries,  highway  robberies,  and 
other  capital  crimes,  of  which  there  is  never  a  dearth  in  civilized  countries. 
Justice  Rivers,  during  two  busy  years,  had  been  too  much  occupied  with 
the  criminal  noose  to  think  of  the  matrimonial  one,  and  his  daughter  conse- 
quently slill  remained  in  happy  ignorance  of  the  match  which  had  been 
made  in  her  behalf  The  Baronet,  more  at  leisure  to  take  notes,  had  de- 
tected Ringwood's  penchant  for  Miss  Twigg  ;  but  the  undisguised  effort  of 
the  mother  to  further  the  flirtation,  coinforlably  persuaded  him  that  it  was 
a  mere  dead  set  at  his  son,  whom  he  compared  1o  a  bull  at  a  baiting.  "  They 
thought  they  had  got  him,"  he  said,  "safely  tied  to  a  ring;  and  to  be  sure 
the  girl  went  well  at  his  head,  and  there  was  no  want  of  heying  her  on ; 
but  when  it  came  to  the  pinning  there  might  be  a  spin  in  the  air,  and  so 
forth,  and  he'd  advise  Mrs.  Twigg  to  make  a  back  ready  to  break  the  poor 
thing's  fall. 

In^this  assurance  he  delivered  himself  up  to  pleasing  anticipa,tions,  and, 
assisted  by  Squire  Ned,  with  whom  he  was  daily  closeted,  he  gave  all  his 
cares  to  the  preparations  for  an  impending  festival  on  R-ingwood's  coming 
of  age,  an  event  which  promised  a  day  of  jubilee  to  the  whole  household, 
with  the  exception  of  Tibbie,  who  gloomily  looked  forward  to  the  coming 
celebration  as  a  sort  of  Belshazzar's  Feast." 

"  Ou  mem,"  exclaimed  the  Scotchwoman,  at  a  private  opportunity  with 
her  mistress,  "  Ou  mem,  after  word  comes  weird  ;  there's  a  black  day  com- 
ing doon  upon  us  at  the  last.  Lordsake,  mem,  let's  be  aff  to  cannie  Glen- 
cosie!  Let's  flee  awa'  harne  like  a  leddy-launner  —  for  it  will  be  a  sair 
sight  to  bide.     Wae's  me!  we'se  a'  be  ruined  stoop  an'  roop  ?" 

"  If  you  mean,  Tibbie,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  the  rejoicings  at  my  ne- 
phew's coming  of  age  —  " 

"  Oh  that's  just  it,  mem,"  interrupted  Tibbie,  with  a  look  as  if  she  had 
seen  a  waith,  and  a  shudder  as  thcfugh  she  had  just  been  well  ducked  by  a 
water-kelpie.  "  Did  I  ever  think  to  see  '  O  for  ane  an'  twenty  Tarn'  danced 
to  siccan  a  daft  tune  ?  They  say  your  nevoy 's  comin'  intil  a  hantle  o'  sil- 
ler, and  sae  a  hantle  mair  is  to  be  fuled  awa'  to  mak'  room  for't!  Ech, 
sirs,  to  skirl  awa'  ae  bawbee  for  gleesomeness  at  getting  anither.  isna  that 
bra w  guiding  o' gear?" 

"Never  fash  your  thumb,  Tibbie,"  said  the  lady,  who,  in  conversation 
with'hcr  follower,  liked  to  gratify  the  Scotchwoman  with  some  of  her  na- 
tional phrases.  "  There's  siller  enough  to  carry  us  well  through  the  plea  ; 
and  a  little  will  be  left  besides,  I  hope,  to  give  Raby  a  birth-day  too,  when 
his  turn  comes." 

"The  Lord  grant  it,  mem,"  answered  Tibbie,  with  an  incredulous  shake 
of  her  head.  "  Ilka  man  maun  sit  on  his  ain  coat-tail,  but  folk  are  forgetfu' 
whiles  o'  the  length  o'  the  pouch,  Gude  kens,  siller  can  rin  awa'  fast 
eneuch  on  its  ain  Tegs,  like  a  Jock-wi-the-mony-feet,  without  pittin'  wings 
till 't.  Aiblins,  mern,  ye  '11  no  have  heard  the  tae  hauf  o'  the  caraffle,  but  I 
ken  brawly  —  for  I  airted  it  out  mysel'." 

"And  what  have  you  heard,  Tibbie,"  inquired  Mrs.  Hamilton,  " that 


TTLNEY   HAj.L-  169 

makes  ye  expect  such  a  kill-cow  ?  But  I  suspect  Jerry  has  been  treating 
you  with  more  statements  than  he  can  vindicate." 

"Houtawa'I"  exclaimed  the  indignant  handmaid.  "  Jerry,  indeed  !  I 
wad  like  to  see  the  hale  clan  o'  Jerries  wha  could  veendicate  Tibbie  Caw- 
mel !  IShe  has  twa  lugs  o'  her  ain,  and  didna  Sir  Mark  Tirl  gie  orders 
aboot  the  vivers  when  1  was  by?  But  ye  were  speering,  mem,  anent  a 
kill-cow.  What  div  ye  think  of  roastit  owsen  —  nae  flesher-wark,  nac 
parting  o'  foresey  and  backsey  and  heukbane,  —  but  roasted  hale,  mem  ; 
muckle  stirks,  wi'  true-luve  knots  o'  blue  ribbons  at  their  tails,  and  their 
horns  g;lintmg  wi'  laid  gowd.     If  that  isna  a  kill-cow  I  kenna  what  is." 

*'  I  remember  to  have  seen  something  of  the  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton, 
"  when  my  brother,  Sir  Mark,  came  into  his  estates." 

"And  the  Lord  hand  him  and  the  estates  thegither!"  ejaculated  Tibbie, 
with  the  fervent  air  of  one  invoking  a  miracle.  "  It  wad  be  an  awfu'  thing 
for  the  Ha'  to  be  roupit,  stock  and  brock  ;  for  I  jalouse  Sir  Mark's  no  the 
precese  sort  o'  man  to  save  ony  thmg  by  a  moonlight  flitting." 

*'  The  moon  must  be  made  of  green  cheese,  indeed,  ere  we  come  to  that," 
eaid  the  mistress. 

"  Aweel,  mem,"  answered  Tibbie,  "  there's  no  saying.  I  kenned  a  blue- 
gown,  wha  was  ance  a  cock  laird.  There's  gov/pen  gowd  to  the  fore  nae 
doot,  but  I  'm  thinking  the  King  himsel'  wad  be  scant  o'  siller  for  the  tow- 
mont  to  come,  after  siccan  an  outlay.  Ben  the  house,  and  but  the  house, 
it's  a'  ane.  There's  to  be  kng  boards  outbye  in  the  policy,  wi'  meat  for 
ilka  mou',  and  lang  settles  eneuch  for  a'  the  doups  in  the  parishrie.  My 
troth,  I  wuss  we  havena  to  sup  lantern-kail  and  pree  barefut- broth,  after 
siccan  a  hirdum-dirdum !" 

"And,  of  course,"  suggested  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "so  much  meat  will  want 
a  little  drink  along  with  it." 

"Ou  ay,  mem,"  answered  Tibbie  eagerly,  "the  yill,  nae  sma'  trash,  but 
the  best  o'  the  brovvst,  the  yill's  to  be  as  free  as  dyke- water.  Gin  the  hale 
clamjamfiy  dinna  get  roarin'  fou'  it  canna  be  wyted  on  huz.  And  there  '3 
to  be  flags,  and  letting  aff" cannons  —  and  musickers  and  jowing  o'  bells  — 
and  a  King  Solomon's  Temple  —  gude  forgie's  —  blavvn  up  wi'  fluffgibs! 
And  there's  to  be  lamps  burnin' blue  and  red  and  green  ule,  —  and  the 
loch,  mem  —  the  loch's  to  be  turn'd  into  toddy,  nae  less,  and  a  chield  in  a 
coble  wi'  a  wheen  quaichs  and  bickers — " 

"  Is  to  serve  it  out  to  the  young  Squire's  health,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton, 
laughing.  "  And  well  may  the  boatie  row,  say  I,  that  rows  to  such  a  good 
purpose.  So  away  to  your  own  bed,  lass,  and  dream  over  a  dream,  one 
half  of  which  at  least  is  likely  to  come  true." 

Thus  dismissed,  Tibbie  retired,  drawing  the  chamber-door  after  her,  but 
not  so  suddenly  as  to  prevent  the  words  "  wasterie"  and  "  red-wud"  and 
"  down-come,"  from  slipping  in  before  it  closed. 


H 


170  TTLNEY    HALL* 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

"  Ho  !  more  wine  !  —  drink,  lad.s,  drink.  Never  spare  the  claret,thcre  's  more  a  grow 
ing.  At  sea,  when  a  ship  crosses  the  Line,  the  eailors  make  a  jubilee,  and  we  '11  have 
curs  upon  land.  Have  I  not  crossed  to-day  the  line  that  divides  boyhood  from  manhood. 
and  makes  me  my  own  master.'  Ho  !  more  wine,  I  say  !  jacks,  flagons,  and   canns  "» 

The  Heir. 
There  hath  risen  betwixt  us 
An  immortality  of  Hate.     Old  Trme 
Shall  sink  to  dotage  and  forget  himself. 
And  Pity  cling  unto  an  usurer's  heart, 
Ere  he  and  I  grow  friends. 

B.Cornwall. 

Above  all,  be  cool.  Never  draw  the  trigger  hastHy  and  at  random,  but  take  a  good 
eight  of  your  mark,  and  then  pull,  if  you  wish  to  kill. 

The  Young  Shooter's  Guide. 

The  festive  preparations  announced  by  Tibbie  in  the  last  chapter,  although 
exaggerated  in  some  instances  by  the  force  of  imagination,  were  likely 
in  the  aggregate  rather  to  exceed  than  to  fall  short  of  her  description.  It 
was  sufficient  to  ensure  this  result  that  the  Baronet  hud  such  a  Heydcgger 
or  master  of  the  revels  as  Squire  Ned,  whose  multifarous  talents  in  meclia- 
nics,  hydraulics,  and  pyrotechnics,  were  all  put  into  requisition,  or  rather 
would  have  been  called  out,  if  they  had  not  of  themselves  volunteered  to 
do  honour  to  the  grand  field-day  at  the  Hall.  On  a  mound  in  the  park  he 
planted  a  battery,  which  was  to  fire  twenty-one  rounds  in  token  of  his 
favourite's  majority,  and  the  yacht  on  the  lake  was  provided  with  a  bevy  of 
flags  of  all  nations,  to  be  hoisted  at  sunrise.  A  balloon  of  his  own  construc- 
tion, and  balloons  were  then  in  their  infancy,  was  to  ascend  from  the 
grounds  :  he  planned  an  exhibition  of  fire-works  worthy  of  a  Hengler  or 
Southby,  and  invented  a  sudden  illumination,  which  forestalled  the  dis- 
covery of  gas.  In  fact,  the  Squire  was  allowed  to  have  out-done  himself; 
but  it  was  a  labour  of  love,  for  the  festival  was  in  honour  of  his  adopted 
son,  and  he  halted  to  and  fro,  lent  a  maimed  hand  to  every  thingf,  and  in- 
spected the  whole  with  his  one  eye  as  vigilantly  and  critically  as  any  other 
overseer  could  have  done  with  two.  He  even  took  up  his  pen,  with  him  a 
very  rare  implement,  and  made  out  a  list  of  healths  and  sentiments  to  be 
given  after  dinner,  some  of  the  latter  being  equally  original  and  energetic  j 
nay,  he  actually  attempted  the  composition  of  a  song  appropriate  lo  the 
occasion,  but  his  muse  broke  down  in  the  very  first  verse,  probably  distress- 
ed and  puzzled  by  his  habitual  elisions  of  the  personal  pronouns. 

Another  bard,  however,  volunteered  to  supply  the  deficiency  —  an  idle, 
dissipated  fellow,  formerly  under-usher  at  the  iree- school,  from  which  he  had 
Deen  expelled  for  his  bacchanalian  propensities,  and  turning  village  laureate, 
he  wandered  from  tap  to  tap  roaring  original  ballads,  for  which  he  was  re- 
warded with  gin  and  porter  in  lieu  of  sack.  But,  although  he  served  nine 
mistresses,  they  could  jointly  afford  him  but  a  very  shabby  suit  of  black 
liver}',  and  the  fluttering  state  of  his  rags  procured  him  the  popular  nick  ■ 
name  of  Tom  Tatters.  This  dilapidated  Dryden  composed  a  Birth-day 
Ode  for  the  festival,  and  remembering  the  proverb  about  "  a  day  after  the 
Fair,"  he  took  care  to  recite  it  a  day  or  two  beforehand,  and  rambled  all 
over  the  parish,  with  a  mob  of  boys  at  his  heels,  ranting  his  provincial  Pin- 
darics. A  torn  and  soiled  MS.  copy,  still  extant,  serves  to  show  that  besides 
X  characteristic  mixture  of  the  ex-uslier  and  the  Bacchanalian,  it  united  the 
absurd  combinations  of  the  celebrated  "  Groves  of  Blarney,"  with  satirical 
allusions  and  pointed  personalities.  As  it  was  popular  orally,  it  mav  b» 
vried  in  print. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  171 

"  Come  all  you  jolly  dogs  in  the  Grapes,  and  King's  Head  and  Green   Man,  and 

Bell  taps, 
And  shy  iip  your  hats —  if  you  have  n't  hats,  your  paper  and  woollen  caps. 
Shout  with  me  and  cry  Eureka!  by  the  sweet  Parnassian  river, 
While  Echo,  in  Warner's  Wood  replies,  Huzza  I  the  young  Squire  for  ever  ! 
And  Vulcan,  Mars,  and  Hector  of  Troy,  and  Jupiter  and  his  wife, 
And  Phcfibus,  from  his  forked  hill,  coming  down  to  take  a  knife, 
And  Mercury,  and  piping  Pan,  to  the  tune  of"  Old  Knig  Cole," 
And  Venus,  the  Queen  of  Love,  to  eat  an  ox  that  was  roasted  whole. 

******* 

Sir  Mark,  God  bless  him,  loves  good  old  times,  when  beards  wag,  and  every  thing 

goes  merry. 
There '11  be  drinking  out  of  grace-cups,  and  a  Boar's  head  chewing  rosemary, 
Maid  IMarian,  and  a  morris  dance,  and  acting  of  quaint  Moralities, 
Doctor  Bellamy,  and  a  hobby  horse,  and  many  other  Old  Formalities. 

*         '        *  *  *  *  *  * 

But  there  won't  be  any  psalm-singing  saints,  to  make  us  sad  of  a  Monday. 
But  Bacchus  will  preach  to  us  out  of  a  barrel,  instead  of  that  Methodist  Bundy. 
We  'II  drmk  to  the  King  in  good  strong  ale,  like  souls  that  are  true  and  loyal, 
And  a  fig  for  Mrs.  Hanway,  chamomile,  and  sage,  and  penny-royal  ; 
And  a  fig  for  Master  Gregory,  that  takes  tipsy  folks  into  custody. 
He  was  a  wise  man  to-morrow,  and  will  be  a  wiser  man  yesterday. 
*  *  *  *    '  * 

Come  fill  a  bumper  up,  my  boys,  and  toss  offeverv  drop  of  it. 
Here  's  young  Squire  Ringwood's  health,  and  may  he  live  as  long  as  Jason, 
Before  Atropos  cuts  his  thread,  and  Dick  Tablet,  the  bungling  mason, 
Chips  him  a  marble  tea-table,  with  a  marble  tea-urn  a-top  of  it. 

Ciuoth  Tom  in  Tatters." 

Extraordinary,  indeed,  was  the  excitement  that  was  produced  through- 
out the  parish,  and  almost  throughout  the  county,  by  the  announcement  of 
the  intended  merrymaking  at  Tylney  Hall.  It  would  be  intruding  —  un- 
wisely intruding —  on  the  peculiar  province  of  Miss  Mitford,  to  attempt  to 
describe  the  commotion  of  the  village  ;  how  rustic  flirts  and  coquettes  ogled 
their  own  pretty  faces  in  round,  oval,  triangular,  square,  and  nine-bob- 
square  looking-glasses,  or  pieces  of  looking-glass ;  and  how  Polly  Hicks 
discovered  that  yellow  suited  a  brown  complexion,  and  Peggy  Bland,  that 
pink  ribbons  looked  well  among  carroty  curls.  IDear  Mary  Russel  only 
could  correctly  enumerate  what  country  cosmetics  came  into  request,  such 
as  buttermilk  for  tan  and  freckles  —  honey  dew,  gathered  at  sunrise,  for 
red  hands  and  arms,  and  home-made  pomatum,  for  refractory  stubble  hair. 
She,  alone,  who  distinguishes  with  fine  discriminative  touches  the  genuine 
natural  pastoral  barn-door  Rosina,  from  the  Rosina  that  is  town-made,  she 
only  could  portray  worthily  the  workings  of  feminine  hopes,  fears,  jealou- 
sies, and  vanities,  which  kept  all  the  rural  maids,  wives,  and  widows  of 
*  *  *  in  a  ferment.  Faded  satins  were  dipped  in  turmeric  and  logwood  — 
rusty  gauzes  were  refreshed  with  vinegar  and  stale  table-beer.  Female 
dresses  were  bought,  sold,  and  exchanged — cleaned,  dyed,  and  altered. 
Tall  mothers,  figuratively  speaking,  were  cut  down  into  dumpy  daughters  ; 
spare  aunts  were  let  out  with  new  breadths  into  fat  nieces,  and  big  sisters 
were  tucked  and  taken  in  till  they  became  little  ones.  The  hoarded  cos- 
tume of  a  century  back  was  ransacked  to  deck  modern  beauties,  and  some- 
limes  the  suits  of  three  or  four  generations  contributed  to  make  up  a  single 
dress — for  example,  Mi?3  Gibiett  had  a  mother  cap  with  grandmothei 
lappets,  an  aunt  boddice,  a  great-aunt  laced  apron,  and  a  great-grand- 
mother skirt.  Moreover,  the  dairy  savings  and  farm-yard  perquisites  were 
laid  out  in  fashionable  millinery  and  cheap  jewellery,  so  that  Mips  Rack- 
itiaw  might  be  said  to  have  a  necklace  of  new-laid  eggs  —  IVIiss  Blossom,  a 


172  TYLNEY    HALL. 

tippet  of  fresh  butter,  and  Miss  Rugby,  a  new  gown  of  fatted  chickens, 
trimmed  with  green-gosling  ribbons,  and  flounced  with  turkey-poults.  As 
for  Miss  Bilberry,  she  determined  to  go  in  her  riding-habit,  as  the  best  habit 
she  had. 

There  was  a  dab- wash  in  every  house.  At  each  basement  window  stood 
a  female,  ironing  or  clear-starching  ;  and  even  towards  the  dinner  nour, 
the  copper  flue  outsmoked  the  kitchen  chimney.  Muslin  lay  bleachinc  on 
the  grass-plots,  the  currant-bushes  were  festooned  with  lace,  and  Ihe  dwarl 
yews  seemed  literally  setting  their  caps  at  the  passer-by. 

The  Strephons,  and  Lubins,  and  Colins,  in  the  interim  were  not  idle  ; 
scarlet  waistcoats  and  pea-green  coats  and  yellow  leathers  were  had  out 
and  aired  and  hrushed  ;  and  little  Tidmarsh  the  tailor  had  so  many  orders 
that  he  was  oo.iged  to  take  on  extra  hands,  by  whose  help  he  was  cnabhid 
to  send  home  a  dozen  new  suits,  so  nonjitting  that,  hke  the  poet,  they  seemed 
rather  to  have  been  "  born  than  made."  More  than  one  yeomanry  uniform 
was  called  out  for  service,  and  Mr.  M'Farlane,  a  tenant  recently  settled 
on  the  estate,  actually  wrote  to  Edinburgh  for  some  of  the  tartan  of  his 
clan.  The  bellringers  practised  daily,  and  the  rustic  choir  of  Tylney  Church 
preciously  rehearsed  a  Christmas  Carol  in  case  they  should  be  called  upon 
to  sing.  A  few  practised  cudgel-play,  in  anticipation  of  a  gold-laced  cocked 
hat,  and  about  as  many  went  into  training  in  wrestling,  presuming  upon  an 
embroidered  belt.  Some  hoped  for  a  pig  with  a  soaked  tail ;  others  prayed 
for  a  race  in  sacks ;  many  speculated  on  a  jackass  race,  and  one  chowder- 
headed  hawbuck  expressed  a  wish  that  there  might  be  a  bull-baiting  in  the 
park.  With  the  sporting  small  farmers  who  joined  the  hunt,  Ringwood 
was  a  great  favourite ;  and  they  subscribed  twenty-one  guineas  for  a  piece 
of  plate  to  be  presented  to  him  on  his  birth-day  ;  but  the  most  memorable 
tribute  was  from  Jacob  Giles,  a  widower  of  a  month  old,  who  emphatically 
declared  "  he  'd  be  dom'd  if  he  wud  n't  goo  to  tha  feast  without  his  hatband  !" 

To  the  distempered  mind  of  the  Creole,  these  festive  preparations  sug- 
gested ideas  which  roused  every  rankling  feeling  in  his  bosom.  He  was 
about  to  see  his  enemy  inaugurated  in  a  sort  of  vice-royalty  over  those 
broad  domains  which  he  himself  had  been  taught  to  covet ;  and  he  cursed 
in  his  heart  the  loud  glee  with  which  the  menials  and  the  tenantry  antici- 
pated the  day  of  jubilee.  Even  his  faith  in  Marguerite  faltered  sometimes 
as  he  saw  Ringwood  careering  before  him  full  of  high  spirits  and  vigorous 
health,  one  of  the  handsomest,  hardiest,  and  best-limbed  young  men  in  the 
county  ;  and  the  soul  of  St.  Kitts  sank  within  him  as  he  asked  himself 
the  question  whether  the  prophecy  that  hailed  him  as  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel, 
might  not  palter  with  him  in  a  double  sense ;  nor  did  it  tend  to  allay  his 
perturbation,  that  in  spite  of  his  continual  rambles  in  the  environs,  he  failed 
to  meet  with  his  foster-mother,  whose  vigilance  ought  naturally  to  have 
brought  her  into  the  vicinity  of  the  Hall  at  such  a  crisis.  Thus,  although, 
as  necessity  and  policy  dictated,  he  wore  a  smooth  exterior,  he  was  inwardly 
hke  the  Spartan  thief  with  a  concealed  fox  gnawing  at  his  very  vitals  :  but 
as  the  time  flew  on  —  as  the  hated  Ringwood  drew  nearer  and  nearer  to 
his  day  of  glory  —  as  his  eye  beamed  with  joy,  his  cheek  flushed  with  de- 
light, and  his  voice  took  a  trumpet-tone  of  triumph  —  the  fox  became  a 
wolf. 

.  Another  trial  awaited  his  vexed  spirit.  The  Baronet,  Mrs.  Hamilton, 
xlaby,  the  Justice,  Grace  Rivers,  and  Squire  Ned,  had  severally  prepared 
gifts  of  affection  and  friendship  to  be  presented  to  Ringwood  on  his  birth- 
day; and  the  Creole's  brow  darkened  as  he  remembered  that  a  similar 
offering  would  be  expected  at  his  hands.  The  idea  of  what  seemed  to  him 
in  the  light  of  an  act  of  homage  to  his  cousin  was  bitter  as  wormwood,  and 
especially  as  he  had  no  such  fatal  gift  to  bestow  as  the  shirt  of  Nessus,  or 
the  arrows  that  reduced  Philoctetes  to  worse  than  death.     "Never!"  he 


TYLNET   HALL.  173 

muttered,  "never!  They  may  make  me  a  walking  figure  in  his  mummery, 
but  not  a  prominent  actor.     Shall  I  fawn  upon  him,  and  wish  him  long  life 

—  I,  that  would  willinirly  risk  mine  to  take  his  ?  Shall  I  offer  him  toke-ns 
of  remembrance  ?     Remembrance  !  —  the  memory  of  slanderous  contumely 

—  of  foul  wrongs — of  infamous  violence.  Besides,  witness  my  horse  — 
he  would  rather  seize  a  Cadeau  from  me  than  accept  one.  No,  let  those 
that  list  shout  Ringwood  forever  —  they  know  not  that  all  their  joy  is  shed 
like  sunsliine  on  a  gravestone — fori  will  still  hope  that  hope  —  and  that  all 
Ine  brightness  and  glory  which  now  surround  their  idol,  are  but  as  the  phos- 
phorescence of  a  putrid  carcass  !" 

In  a  milder  spirit,  and  sympathizing  more  naturally  with  the  scene  around 
him,  Raby  forgot,  or  postponed,  all  subjects  of  difference  with  his  brother. 
Hitherto  he  had  received  no  hint  of  the  paternal  project  which  assigned 
Grace  over  to  Ringwood;  and  even  with  such  knowledge,  the  obvious 
partiality  of  the  latter  for  Miss  Twigg  would  have  disarmed  him  of  all 
thoughts  of  jealousy  or  rivalry.  A  partaker,  therefore,  of  the  general  good- 
will and  affection  towards  the  hero  of  the  fete,  he  not  only  prepared  his 
own  gift  for  the  occasion,  but  resolved  to  give  an  especial  proof  of  the  in- 
terest he  took  in  the  event.  He  had  promised  to  turn,  or  at  least  trj'  to 
turn,  a  sportsman,  a  course  that  involved  some  sacrifice  of  feeling,  for  his 
sensitiveness  on  the  deprivation  of  animal  life  has  been  already  recorded  ; 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  if  any  thing  could  counterbalance  the  pain  of  first 
acting  against  his  scruples,  it  would  be  the  gratification  of  making  his 
maiden  offering  of  game  at  the  family  festival. 

With  these  views  he  sought  a  repository  of  arms  at  the  head  of  the  hall 
stairs,  and  which  Ringwood  had  been  accustomed  to  call  his  "  Sporting 
Magazine."  It  was  a  gallery  which  might  truly  have  been  christened  a 
shooting  gallery  ;  for,  instead  of  old  family  portraits,  the  usual  ornaments 
of  such  places,  it  was  hung  round  wilh  sporting  weapons  of  various  age 
and  fashion.  Here  depended  a  cross-bow,  murderously  familiar  to  the 
rookery;  a  cluster  of  peacock's  plumes  being  drawn  between  the  string  and 
its  polished  steel  arch.  There  rested  a  self  yew  long-bow  with  its  quiver 
of  yard- long  arrows,  and  beneath  it  an  Indian  bow,  painted  and  gilded,  and 
curving  to  and  fro  Tike  a  snake.  Beside  these  hung  an  antique  sword, 
with  a  black  horn  handle,  curiously  carved,  the  nut-brown  blade  being  in- 
dented with  a  reynard  in  outline,  illustrative  of  the  old  dramatic  invocation 
to  a  sword  of  "  Come  out,  fox."  On  the  opposite  wall  gleamed  the  bright 
barrels  of  muskets  and  fowling-pieces,  single  and  double,  rifles  of  different 
make,  horse  pistols  and  pistols  for  duelling.  A  legion  of  supplementary 
hooks  and  nails  served  for  the  deposit  of  shot-belts,  powder-horns,  and 
what  the  graphic  Mr.  George  Robins  would  call  an  infinity  of  sundries. 
The  third  side  contained  angling  and  trolling  rods,  landing  nets,  and  all  the 
apparatus  of  the  fisherman  ;  and  each  wall  was  furnished  wilh  appropriate 
stuffed  specimens  of  ferae  naturee  that  had  been  killed  on  the  estate. 

Here,  then,  Raby,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  bestowed  his  serious 
thoughts  upon  a  gun,  and  took  some  interest  in  knowing  its  barrel  from  its 
butt-end.  Casting  a  bewildered  eye  from  one  mysterious  implement  to 
another,  ho  took  each  after  each  into  his  hand,  and  endeavoured  with 
all  the  might  of  his  mind  to  acquire  what  Dr.  Watts,  in  his  Logic,  so  stre- 
nuously recommends  to  a  young  student,  namely,  "  a  knowledge  of  things." 
At  last  he  made  choice  of  a  weapon,  and  just  as  he  was  reaching  out  his 
hands  towards  a  regulation  musket,  which,  at  the  approach  of  the  war,  had 
served  in  the  county  militia,  the  Creole  glidiid  quietly  to  his  elbow. 

'Not that  Brown  Bess,"  said  St.  Kitts,  "unless  you  contemplate  a  cam- 
paign on  the  continent.  Take  my  single  gun  yonder,  it 's  a  killing  barrel  at 
•Lxty  yards." 

"  I  wish  to  try  one  of  Ringwood's,"  answered  Raby  j  and  taking  up 


174  TVLNEY   HALL 

another  weapon,  he  began  to.examine  it  with  a  deliberate  minuteness,  which 
implied  that  he  wanted  the  scrutiny  to  outlast  the  unwelcome  presence  of 
his  observer.  But  the  patience  of  the  Creole  was  like  tliat  of  Job,  and  after 
a  tedious  cross-exauiinatiou  of  t!ie  gun,  Raby  was  fain  to  transfer  his  at- 
tentions to  another,  a  double  barrel,  which,  after  a  very  mature  considera- 
tion, he  seemed  inclined  to  select. 

"Be  sure  your  flints  are  good,"  said  the  Creole,  taking  the  gun  as  he 
spoke  from  the  otlier's  hand,  and  drawing  back  the  hammer  to  full-cock, 
he  pulled  the  trigger.  An  explosion  instantly  followed  that  made  all  the 
sporting  implements  clatter  against  the  wall,  wliilst  Raby  started  a  pace  or 
two  backward.  "Good  God,  St.  Kitts !"  he  exclaimed,  "do  you  want 
to  kill  me  ?"  and  a  foul  suspicion  glanced  across  his  brain,  which  seemed 
to  vibrate  with  his  nerves. 

"If  I  did,"  answered  the  Creole,  calmly,  "  I  flatter  myself  I  could  take  a 
truer  aim  than  that;"  and  he  pointed  to  the  marks  which  the  charge  had 
made  in  tne  ceiling  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  gallery. 

Raby  made  no  answer,  but  proceeded  to  reload  the  piece,  tacitly  reject- 
ing a  motion  of  assistance  that  was  tendered  by  St.  Kitts.  Pressing  back 
the  spring  of  a  powder-flask,  he  suffered  an  unlimited  portion  of  the  con- 
tents to  pass  into  the  barrel,  which  it  occupied  some  five  or  six  inches 
deep,  and  then  pouring  in  a  quantity  of  shot,  ad  libitum,  he  covered  all 
with  a  couple  of  wads  and  rammed  down.  St.  Kitts  watched  the  opera- 
tion in  silence,  and  suffered  the  other  even  lo  advance  some  steps  with  this 
desperate  load  in  the  weapon,  before   he  interfered  in  his  usual  quiet  tone. 

"If  I  wished  your  injury,  Raby,  I  might  safely  leave  it  to  youi  own 
hand.  The  best  barrel  of  proof  ever  made  would  shiver  to  atoms  with 
such  a  charge  as  you  have  just  crammed  into  that  gun  upon  your  shoul- 
der." 

Raby,  with  some  trepidation,  prepared  to  rid  his  hands  of  the  dangerous 
burthen,  when  the  Creole,  taking  the  gun,  drew  the  charge,  and  then  in- 
viting the  other  to  observe  the  proper  method,  he  reloaded  the  barrel  with 
the  appropriate  measures  of  powder  and  lead.  A  hot  blush  passed  over 
Raby's  face,  as  he  recalled  his  unworthy  suspicions,  and  he  promptly  and 
gratefully  accepted  the  Creole's  offer  to  accompany  him  in  his  intended  ex- 
pedition. 

It  was  one  of  those  fine  evenings  in  September,  when  the  sun  with  a 
peculiar  glow  burns  upon  the  first  brown  and  yellow  tints  of  autumn, 
making  amends,  by  apparent  warmth  to  the  eye,  for  the  actual  decrease  ot 
heat  with  the  wane  of  the  year.  The  hour  was  one  favourable  to  the 
sportsman.  The  hares,  leaving  their  forms,  began  to  steal  out  of  cover, 
and  the  partridges  were  feeding  and  calling  to  each  other  :  but  in  vain  puss 
and  birds  presented  themselves  in  every  variety  of  course  or  flight.  Raby, 
besides  being  nervous,  was  rather  short-sighted  ;  and  before  he  could  re- 
cover from  the  flurry  of  the  hare's  sudden  bolt,  and  the  alarming  whirr  ot 
the  covey,  the  game  was  far  out  of  range,  if  not  actually  beyond  his  sight. 
After  repeated  failures,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  repair  to  the  vvai  ren, 
as  a  forlorn  hope,  for  a  couple  or  two  of  rabbits  would  l)e  better  than  nothing, 
and  provided  the  tyro  wasnot  nice  about  shooting  Bunny  standing  or  squat- 
ting, or  rearing  up  on  his  hind  legs  to  look  about  him,  or  to  cat-wash  his 
little  round  face,  there  was  an  even  chance  that  Raby  might  carry  home  a 
few  coneys. 

At  one  extremity  of  the  park  there  was  an  extensive  piece  of  rough  waste 
ground,  of  about  twenty  acres,  which  had  never  been  brought  into  cultiva- 
tion, on  account  of  its  value  as  a  noted  harbour  for  snipes,  which  seemea 
to  take  a  special  delight  in  its  rushy  plashes.  At  the  northern  extrcmitv 
the  ground  rose  rather  abruptly  into  a  mount,  known  as  the  one-tree  hill, 
from  a  remarkable  oak  which  occupied  its  summit.     The  whole  of  this 


TYLNET  HALL.  l75 

cmcnence  was  undermined  by  a  vast  quantity  of  wild  rabbits,  which  early 
in  Ihe  mominj;  and  at  sunset  were  seen  browsing  and  sporting  in  consider- 
able numbers.  In  this  direction  llal)y  and  his  cousin  leisurely  sauntered, 
under  cover  of  an  irregular  belt  of  plantation  which  skirted  the  waste  ground 
I  Jiave  already  mentioned.  The  dogs  were  kept  at  heel,  and,  for  fear  of 
alarming  their  prey,  the  young  men  spoke  seldom,  and  in  whispers  ;  but  in 
spite  of  this  precaution,  the  eye  of  Raby,  unaccustomed  to  detect  such  ob- 
jects, discerned  little  of  the  timid  dusky  gray  animals,  whose  flight  was 
indicated  from  time  to  time  by  the  finger  of  his  companion,  save  the  distant 
white  gleam  of  a  departing  tail.  Thus  they  walked  past  the  brow  of  the 
hill  without  a  single  shot ;  they  then  visited  Old  Sarum  and  Gatton,  for  so 
Ringwood  had  christened  two  especially  rotten  parts  of  the  said  eminence, 
but  still  without  seeing  any  sitting  borough  member  who  might  be  forced  to 
accept  Chiltern  Hundreds  of  number  four.  There  remained  but  to  try  a 
level  of  scarcely  an  acre  beyond  the  mount  ;  and  here  the  Creole,  by  signs, 
directed  the  gunner  to  take  his  station  behind  some  brushwood,  and  told 
him  to  keep  watch  over  a  small  open  plot,  bounded,  at  about  fifteen  yards 
distance,  by  fern  that  was  breast-high.  They  had  hardly  been  thus  am- 
bushed for  five  minutes,  \yhen  a  movement  took  place  in  a  pitch  of  fern  lofty 
above  the  rest,  a  stir  that  could  not  be  attributed  to  the  wind,  for  there  was 
scarcely  a  breath  of  air.  The  Creole  pointed  it  out  to  his  companion,  and 
in  a  whisper  gave  him  his  directions.  "  Powder  costs  little  ;  we  must  take 
chance  shots.  You  see  that  tall  thistle ;  aim  about  a  yard  below  it,  where 
you  see  the  stir.*' 

Raby  shot  in  the  direction  recommended,  his  finger  at  once  pulling  both 
triggers,  and  the  report  of  two  barrels  mingled  as  one.  Instantly  a  shriek, 
louder  than  rabbit  ever  cried  in  its  agony,  rent  the  air.  The  tall  fern  was 
dashed  about  by  the  convulsive  tossings  of  human  limbs,  and  in  a  few  se- 
conds the  body  of  a  man  rolled  out  of  the  dense  herbage  into  the  open 
space.  The  recoil  of  a  gun,  the  flash,  and  the  loud  report,  had  produced 
their  full  effect  on  the  nerves  of  Raby  ;  but  horror  rooted  him  to  the  spot, 
when,  as  the  srnoke  cleared  away,  he  saw  the  convulsed  frame  of  his  victim 
now  drawn  up  till  the  knees  met  the  face,  and  then  inversely  arched  till  the 
body  rested  merely  on  the  heels  and  the  back  of  the  head. 

The  struggle  lasted  not  long:  this  motion  ceased,  and  the  petrified  ho- 
micide was  enabled  to  recognise,  in  the  countenance  of  liis  victim  —  the 
features  of  Ringwood  Tyerel  ! 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

My  brother, 
Awake  ! — why  liest  thou  so  on  the  green  earth  ? 
'T  13  not  the  hour  of  slumber  : — why  so  pale  ? 
What  hast  thou  ?  thou  wen  full  of  life  this  morn  ! 
*     *     *     *     Who  makes  me  brotherless  ?  — — 

His  eyes  are  open  !  then  he  is  not  dead  ! 
Death  is  like  sleep  ;  and  sleep  shuts  down  our  lids. 
His  lips,  too,  are  apart ;  wliy  then  he  breathes  ; 
And  yet  I  feel  it  not.— His  heart !— his  heart  ! — 
Let  me  see,  doth  it  beat  ? — methinks — No  I  no  !    " 
This  is  a  vision,  else  I  am  become 
The  native  of  another  and  worse  world. — 

Bvron's  Caiit. 

Like  a  warrior  in  battle  struck  suddenly  down  and  stunned  by  a  heavy 
mace,  and  then  restored  to  consciousness  by  the  grinding  thrust  of  a  sharp 
•pear ;  so  did  Raby  recover  from  the  stupor  of  the  .first  shock  but  to    a 


176  TTLNEY    HALL. 

more  piercing  sense  of  anguish,  as  he  became  fully  aware  of  the  miserable 
deed  he  had  done.  He  stood  entranced  —  motionless  and  mute,  for  words 
aie  inadequate  to  such  woes.  There  are  intense  moments  when  man  be- 
comes a  giant  in  suffering,  and  needs  a  Titanic  language  to  vent  such 
enormous  sorrow,  stupendous  horror,  and  vast  despair.  The  earth  seemed 
reeling  benc^ith  him,  the  sky  was  whirling  round  his  head,  and  his  ears 
were  stunned  as  with  the  rushing  of  mighty  waters.  It  was  an  appalling 
mood  of  mind,  to  which  nothing  could  bring  relief  but  mstant  madness,  by 
deluding  his  sense  of  sight  and  translating  the  bleeding  object  before  hmi 
into  some  less  terrible  vision. 

The  movement  of  St,  Kitts,  who  ran  and  raised  up  the  sufferer  in  a  sitting 
posture,  i-estored  the  wretched  fratricide  to  recollection.  With  an  indescri- 
bable cry  he  rushed  and  threw  himself  on  his  knees  before  his  brother, 
eagerly  gazing  with  his  face  opposed  to  the  dying  one,  gasping  by  sympa- 
thy as  he  gasped,  and  unconsciously  copying  every  convulsive  working  of 
the  features  with  frightful  fidelity.  "Speak  to  me,  Ringwood,''  he  mur- 
mured, "speak,  for  the  love  of  Christ !"  but  the  answer  was  the  mortal  rat- 
tle in  the  throat,  the  eyes  suddenly  grew  opaque,  and  the  head  dropped  on 
the  bosom.  The  charge  had  been  received  in  the  chest,  and  the  blood  flow- 
ing inwardly,  had  filled  the  lungs. 

"  There  passed  the  spirit !"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  natural  shudder ;  "  he 
is  dead." 

"Oh  no  —  no  —  no,"  groaned  Raby,  and  instinctively  he  passed  his  hand 
from  the  mouth  to  the  wrist,  and  thence  to  the  heart  ;  but  there  was  no 
breath,  nopulsaUon  ;  and  hope,  which  had  prompted  the  test,  recoiled  with 
the  benumbing  shiver  which  nothing  but  the  contact  of  death,  that  awful 
torpedo,  can  communicate.  His  whole  frame  shook  with  a  violence  that 
threatened  dissolution  ;  a  cold  sweat  broke  out  in  large  beads  upon  his 
brow  —  nature  could  bear  no  more:  and  clasping  his  bursting  temples  be- 
tween his  hands,  he  dropped  like  a  stone  upon  the  turf. 

From  this  swoon  he  was  recovered  by  St.  Kitts,  and  far  some  minutes 
his  look  was  so  vague  and  vacant,  and  his  brow  so  calm,  that  reason  seem- 
ed actually  to  have  merged  in  idiotcy ;  but  as  the  cruel  truth  again  dawned 
upon  him,  he  fell  into  the  former  ecstacy,  and  springing  to  his  feet,  and 
wildly  stretching  his  arms  abroad,  as  if  in  appeal  to  the  whole  wide  earth 
and  sky,  he  burst  into  a  melancholy  cry  of  "  Oh  God  !  what  shall  I  do  1' 
and  again,  and  again,  and  again  it  was  repeated,  as  a  thousand  diverging 
thoughts  concentrated  afresl)  in  the  same  dreadful  focus. 

"  You  must  fly,"  said  the  Creole,  in  a  thrilling  whisper,  as  if  the  Aven- 
ger of  Blood  were  already  at  hand.  *'  This  will  be  called  murder  —  would 
to  heaven,  Raby,  you  had  lived  on  better  terms  with  your  brother  !" 

"Oh,  It  is  too  true  !"  exclaimed  Raby,  wringing  his  hands  till  the  blood 
started  under  the  nails,  as  he  resigned  himself  to  the  pangs  of  that  bitter 
self-reproach  with  which  the  living  are  apt  to  contemplate  all  bygone  differ- 
ences with  the  dead.  "  But  I  loved  him  —  better  than  my  own  life.  I 
loved  him  —  and  oh,  that  I  were  now  lying  there  in  his  stead!  Yes,"  ho 
continued,  "he  was  good,  kind,  generous,  noble  —  the  best  of  brothers;" 
and  grasping  the  lifeless  hand,  he  riveted  his  eyes  on  the  pallid  features, 
now  settling  into  a  placid  smile,  as  frequently  happens  to  the  physiognomy, 
where  death  has  resulted  from  a  gunshot  wound. 

"  Raby,"  said  the  Creole,  and  his  voice  sounded  supernaturally  hoUow 
—  "  the  dead  are  dead,  and  the  living  muot  not  be  lost  —  rise  up  and 
av/ay  !" 

"No,"  replied  Raby,  "I  will  not  stir.  Come  what  may,  this  is  iity 
proper  place,  and  till  the  tomb  bars  me  fiom  him,  thus  will  1  sit  at  his  head 
as  his  chief  mourner." 

"  This  is  mere  madness/'  replied  the  Creole,  in  a  sharper  tone,  and  '^•^i* 


TYLNEY    HALL.  177 

a  gesture  of  impatience.  "  The  cry  of  murder  will  rise  hotly  against  you 
—  blood  will  demand  blood  —  and  your  own  parent  even  will  not  be  able  to 
save  you.  One  son  is  sone,  and  if  another  must  follow,  at  least  spare  us 
the  spectacle  of  an  ignominious  death.  For  your  father's  sake  —  lor  the 
sake  of  one  still  dearer  —  " 

Raby  £:roaned  at  this  new  blow,  and  dropped  hi?  brother's  hand.  Me- 
chanically he  rose  up  and  turned  his  eyes  towards  Hawksley,  and  scalding 
trars  for  the  first  time  gushed  from  the  parched  lids,  as  he  thought  of  the 
^oimg,  fond,  joyous  heart  he  was  doomed  to  break.  Something  he  tried  to 
Siiy,  but  the  sound  died  upon  his  lips  ;  his  head  drooped,  his  arms  dropped 
powerless  by  his  side,  and  he  assumed  at  once  the  despairing  attitude  and 
expression  of  a  wretch  who  had  just  stepped  irretrievably  over  the  threshold 
of  that  tremendous  portal,  in  Dante,  beyond  wliich  hope  has  not  even  a 
name. 

"  Hark  —  a  shot !"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  in  an  under-tone  ;  tlie  keeper  is 
going  his  rounds  —  if  you  remain  here  you  are  lost ;"  and  he  seized  the  arm 
of  Raby,  and  partly  by  force  led  him  from  the  fatal  spot.  The  condition 
of  the  latter  M^as  truly  pitiable,  and  to  estimate  it  the  reader  must  consider 
not  merely  the  harrowing  circumstances  of  the  time,  but  the  peculiar  mor- 
bid sensibility  and  constitutional  nervous  temperament  of  the  individual, 
which  combined  to  deprive  him  of  all  ordinary  firmness.  In  utler  prostra- 
tion of  mind  and  body,  with  a  complete  paralysis  of  purpose,  and  the  abso- 
lute apathy  of  despair,  he  implicitly  abandoned  himself  to  the  guidance  ol 
St.  Kitts,  acquiescing  vv'ith  child-like  obedience  in  his  suggestions,  and  even 
servilely  imitating  the  motions  and  gestures  of  his  conductor.  From  a  ra- 
tional being  he  seemed  at  once  reduced  to  passive  imbecility  —  a  mere  auto- 
maton with  no  original  motive  or  springs  of  action  —  but  abjectly  dependent 
on  the  will  of  another.  As  they  passed  across  the  open  space  to  regain  the 
hill,  the  Creole  pointed  to  a  dead  rabbit  that  lay  on  the  grass,  with  the  blood 
still  fresh  upon  a  small  wound  on  the  nape  of  the  neck. 

"There  lies  the  g-erm  of  this  calamity,"  he  said  ;  "  a  pole-cat  has  been 
here  recently,  and  Ringwood  was  watching  for  it  in  the  fern." 

Raby  made  no  answer,  but  abstractedly  stopped  and  picked  up  the  rab- 
bit, and  would  have  carried  it  away  with  him  if  St.  Kitts  had  not  taken  it 
from  his  helpless  hand  and  tiirown  it  in  the  bushes.  The  slayer  was  almost 
as  unconscious  as  the  slain  ;  the  blow  had  stunned  him,  and  reduced  all  his 
faculties  to  a  state  of  torpor  ;  he  heard,  without,  comprehending,  the  repre- 
sentations that  were  made  to  him  of  the  necessity  of  flight,  but  blindly  hur- 
ried on  with  fixed  bewildered  eyes,  and  open-mouthed,  like  a  somnambulist 
under  the  influence  of  a  horrid  dream. 

Their  course  lay  through  a  plantation  on  the  verge  of  the  estate,  the  Cre- 
ole cautiously  leading  in  an  opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  an  occasional 
shot  indicated  the  course  of  the  gamekeeper.  At  length  they  reached  a 
sequestered  spot  called  the  Dell-hoIe,  from  a  circular  hollow  in  the  midst,  a 
notorious  haunt  of  the  woodcock,  and  but  a  few  paces  distant  from  a  furze 
hedge  and  a  dry  ditch  which  divided  this  part  of  the  enclosed  land  from  the 
open  forest.  Here  St.  Kitts  made  a  sudden  halt,  and  addressed  bis  stupi- 
fied  companion  in  a  tone  of  solemn  decision. 

"  Rabj,  rouse  yourself  and  listen  :  this  is  no  time  to  jujrgle  you  with 
t»ain  hopes,  or  to  lull  you  with  a  mockery  of  comfort,  or  to  blind  your  eyes 
with  false  views  of  the  past  or  the  future.  One  bolt  has  fallen,  and  another 
i"»  in  the  air  redder  and  fiercer  even  than  the  first,  —  one  that  will  burst  on 
the  heads- that  are  dearest  toyou  witti  tenfold  ruin.  Ringwood  is  gone,  but 
he  died  not  the  death  of  a  felon.  There  may  be  comfort  for  one  calamitv, 
but  the  other  will  bring  down  gray  hairs  to  the  grave  with  disgrace  as  well 
as  sorrow.  It  is  a  bitter  doom,  but  you  must  fly  !  yes,  fly  your  country  ! 
My  heart  bleeds  for  you,  but  tlic  scaflbld  must  be  shunned,  even  were  you 
7—6 


178  TYLNEY    HALL. 

to  become  an  exile  for  ever.  Would  to  God  you  had  been  the  first-born  of 
your  father,  the  heir  of  his  estates,  —  but  for  the  younger  to  kill  the  elder! 
—  we  live  in  a  cruel  world,  Raby,  and  the  evil-minded  will  hint  at  murder 
and  quote  precedents.  Innocence  will  be  stained  like  guilt ;  public  justice 
will  be  clamorous  for  atonement,  and  the  rash  verdict  of  passion  and  preju- 
dice may  direct  the  very  lands  of  your  forefathers  to  be  polluted  by  the 
erection  of  a  gibbet.  No,  you  must  fly  this  infamy.  I  know  the  ties  that 
bind  you,  but  for  the  sake  of  Grace  Rivers  herself,  you  will  fly,  though  it 
should  be  as  the  breaking  of  your  heart-strings  ;  let  her  weep  but  not  blush 
for  you.  Away,  ere  it  be  too  late  ;  away,  ere  your  brow  be  stamped  for 
ever  with  the  brand  of  Cain.  After  a  lapse  of  years  suspicion  may  revise 
its  thoughts,  and  judgment  may  reverse  its  verdict ;  but  till  then  you  must 
shun  a  certain  doom,  and  ignominy  worse  than  death  !" 

During  this  discourse  the  unfortunate  being  it  was  addressed  to  became 
gradually  conscious  of  its  purport,  and  as  his  mind  comprehended  the  bitter 
and  apparently  inevitable  alternative  that  was  proposed  to  him,  the  workings 
of  his  countenance  expressed  how  excruciating  were  the  pangs  that  racked 
his  heart  and  brain,  as  he  contemplated  and  acknowledged  the  stern  neces- 
sity of  an  instant  separation  from  all  that  remained  to  him  in  life  or  love. 

It  was  once  affirmed  by  a  lady  who  had  been  recovered  from  drowning, 
that  during  the  hovering  of  her  spirit,  as  it  were,  between  two  worlds,  she 
had  a  revelation  of  her  past  life,  even  in  its  minutest  incidents,  spread  be- 
fore her  inward  eye,  like  a  pictorial  chart,  long  forgotten  circumstances 
displaying  themselves  as  vividly  as  at  the  time  of  their  actual  occurrence. 
Even  thus  did  Raby's  prophetical  imagination  place  before  him  in  one  vast 
design  the  dark  prospect  of  the  future,  with  all  its  sombre  architecture,  ter- 
rible as  the  Hall  of  Eblis,  peopled  with  dreadful  shapes  of  misery  and 
despair.  The  drooping  form  of  his  bereaved  parent,  the  decay  of  his 
widowed  aunt,  and  the  withering  decline  of  Grace,  all  the  weary  wo  and 
progressive  effects  of  years,  were  forestalled  in  a  moment,  and  his  soul  was 
stricken  beforehand  with  the  hopeless  grief  of  the  mourner,  and  the  marble 
chill  of  the  tomb.  The  thought  of  tearing  himself  from  such  ties  was  agony; 
but  in  another  compartment  of  the  same  gloomy  vision  he  beheld  the  oppro- 
brious gibbet,  with  his  own  infamous  remains  swinging  alofr,  and  given  for 
a  prey,  like  carrion,  to  the  fowls  of  the  air.  He  saw  the  fiends  of  Hatred, 
Malice,  and  Scorn,  dancing  and  gibbering  round  the  fatal  tree,  and  drag- 
ging his  parent,  and  another  distracted  figure,  to  gaze  on  the  hideous  spec- 
tacle. Even  yet  he  might  have  wavered,  but  for  a  startling  voice  that  came 
breathing  terrible  words  of  accusation  and  denunciation,  as  if  epitomising 
the  execrations  of  the  world,  and  pronouncing  its  sentence. 

"  Away  !"  it  cried  ;  "  away,  you  foul  murderer,  you  cruel  Cain,  stained 
with  a  brother's  blood  !"  and  the  brown  woman  stood  suddenly  before  him, 
with  her  arms  waving  aloft,  her  hair  streaming,  and  her  eyes  flashing,  like 
a  Pythoness  in  her  frenzy  of  divination.  "  Away  to  the  desert,  —  herd  with 
the  lion,  that  preys  on  human  kind,  and  with  the  tiger,  that  thirsts  for  gore  ; 
for  they  are  your  fit  mates.  Away  with  the  vampire,  away  into  utter  dark- 
ness, —  hide  yourself  at  the  ends  of  the  earth,  — begone  to  the  savage  and 
the  cannibal,  where  slaying  in  cool  blood  is  a  merit,  and  may  make  you  the 
chief  of  a  horde.  The  beam  is  hewn,  and  the  hemp  is  spun,  that  shall 
strangle  you,  and  the  iron  is  welded  that  is  to  hang  you  in  chains." 

"  This  is  horrible,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  look  of  appeal  towards  Raby. 
"  The  public  voice  speaks  through  her.     Take  the  warning,  and  fly." 

**0h,  I  must  —  I  must,"  wildly  exclaimed  their  wretched  auditor;  "but 
where  —  whither  ?" 

"  To  London,"  answered  the  Creole.  "  Go  to  Woodley,  of  Maudlin's  ; 
he  lives  in  St.  James's  Street.  You  sliall  hoar  from  mc  there, —  and  then 
the  first  ship  for  Africa  or  Ainerica  will  be  the  best." 


TYLNEY    HALL.  179 

*'0h!  my  poor  fatiier,  —  and  Grace,"  murmured  Raby.  "What !  away 
for  ever —  to  another  world,  —  without  a  word,  a  farewell ;  I  canrrot,  St, 
KittSj.I  cannot." 

"  Stay,  then,  and  bid  them  farewell  from  the  gallows,"  resumed  the  wo~ 
man.  "  Stay  another  hour,  and  death  and  infamy  will  be  laid  hke  blood' 
hounds  upon  your  track  ;  stay,  and  sec  the  gray  hairs  of  your  father  -grovel 
ling  in  the  dust,  and  the  brown  locks  of  Grace  Rivfis  plucked  out  by  hand 
fuls,  as  if  that  would  save  her  from  madness.  Aye,  there  is  the  stinoj  of  the 
scorpion  ;  but  d:d  I  not  tell  you,  that  you  should  curse  the  day,  and  the  hour 
of  the  day,  that  linked  her  fate  with  your  own  ?" 

"And  the  evil  hour  when  I  was  born,"  added  the  fratricide.  "Oh,  that 
hand  —  that  cruel  riijht  hand,"  and  he  held  the  criminal  member  as  far  from 
him  as  he  could,  "  it  has  lost  me  for  ever.  Why,  oh  why,  St.  Kitts,  was  it 
directed  atjainst  my  brother?" 

"  You  saw  as  much  as  I  did,"  answered  the  Creole  ;  "  but  this  is  no  time 
to  combat  va^^ue  suspicions.  You  will  have  enough  to  do  to  ward  off  those 
which  may  be  aimed  at  yourself.  Hark  !  away  for  the  love  of  God;  that 
last  shot  was  close  at  hand." 

"  Away,"  echoed  the  brown  woman  ;  "  away,  and  pull  foot  at  once :  fly 
from  death  and  vengeance  !  They  are  coming,  they  are  coming.  Strike 
out  for  life,  for  you  are  swimming  beside  the  shark  !"  and  she  dramatised 
the  passion  of  fear  so  vividly  by  voice,  feature,  and  gesture,  that  under  a 
sudden  impulse  of  terror  the  tortured,  bewildered  Raby  darted  off  towards 
the  hedge,  plunged  through  the  furze,  rushed  across  the  ditch,  and  with  the 
headlong  fliglit  of  desperation  ran  at  random,  struggling  and  crashing, 
through  the  underwood  of  the  forest. 

As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  Marguerite  turned  round  to  the  Creole, 
and  addressed  him  in  a  low  feeble  voice,  marvellously  altered  from  the  ex 
alted  tone  she  had  so  lately  assumed.  But  she  obtained  no  answer.  St. 
Kitls  stood  abstractedly,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  spot  where  his  unfortu- 
nate cousin  had  disappeared,  and  his  lips  quivered,  and  his  whole  frame  was 
agitated  by  a  visible  tremor.  The  woman  observed  these  symptoms  of  dis- 
composure, which  she  attributed,  perhaps  truly,  to  compunctious  visitings, 
and  her  v:  ice  became  stronger  and  sharper  under  the  obvious  excitement  oi 
irritation 

"  I  said,  Walter,  that  I  have  been  ill." 

St.  Kitts  slowly  turned,  without  answering,  and  gazed  on  her  figure, 
which  was  incredibly  emaciated  since  their  last  interview.  Her  bare  arms 
were  literally  like  mere  bones  covered  with  parchment,  and  the  long  dis- 
coloured hands,  with  their  meager  fingers  and  obtrusive  joints,  were  as  those 
of  a  skeleton.  Her  face,  especially,  was  miserably  altered;  the  nose  was 
sharp,  glossy,  and  pointed  ;  the  lips  pale,  and  thin,  and  shrunken,  so  as  to 
expose  the  teeth  ;  the  cheeks  hollow,  and  the  cheek-bones  were  unnaturally 
prominent.  It  would  have  been  the  aspect  of  a  corpse,  but  for  two  restless 
black  eyes,  which  from  their  deep  sunken  sockets  still  sparl^led  with  their 
usual  unquiet  radiance. 

"You  are  sadly  changed,  Marguerite,"  he  said.  "Your  illness  must 
have  been  severe,  indeed." 

"  As  severe,"  answered  the  woman,  "  as  nature  could  well  bear.  Death 
has  been  wooing  me,  and  nearly  won  me,  too,  or  you  would  have  met  me 
ero  this.  Do  you  think,  Walter,  I  could  otherwise  have  remained  idle  with 
such  doings  at  the  Hall  ?  They  have  prepared  a  rare  show  for  a  birth-day, 
like  the  Jamaica  revel  at  a  New  Year  ;  but  where  is  the  chief  puppet  ?"  she 
added,  with  a  sort  of  cluickle,  "  where  is  their  John  Canoe?" 

"Ho  lies  low  enough,"  answered  the  Creole,  thoughtfully  ;  "a  spectacle 
to  damp  all  thoughts  of  mirth  for  long  years  to  come." 

"Aye,  truly,"  said  the  woman,  "and  could  1  but  have  crawled  like  a 


ISO  TYL.NEY   HALL. 

toad,  I  would  have  brought  my  own  share  of  venom  to  poison  their  mirth  ; 
but  I  was  crippled  hand  and  foot.  The  very  thought  of  my  helplessness 
maddened  me.  I  believe  I  was  delirious,  and  raved  ;  but  do  not  start,  Hen- 
nessey's Hut  is  secure  from  eaves-droppers.  Had  I  died  there,  it  would  be 
unknown  to  any  living  soul  whether  my  last  breath  was  spent  in  cursing  or 
blessing,  in  blasphemies  or  in  prayers." 

"It  is  dreadful  to  think  of,"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  his  mind,  Janus-like, 
looking  at  once  towards  the  past  and  the  future,  and  anticipating  the  afflict- 
ing scene  that  would  ensue  from  the  introduction  of  the  dead  to  the  living. 

"  It  ivas  dreadful,"  said  the  woman,  mistaking  the  source  of  his  emotion, 
"  as  dreadful  as  disease,  destitution,  and  darkness,  could  make  it,  with 
death  in  the  background.  Alone  and  helpless,  racked  with  pain,  scorched 
with  fever,  and  parched  with  thirst,  delirious,  and  tortured  by  hellish 
dreams,  I  called,  Walter  Tyrrel,  on  you ;  to  you  I  prayed,  and  through 
you,  and  for  you  only,  I  feel  that  I  recovered  and  am  now  in  life.  The 
thought  of  Walter  Tyrrel  flitted  like  a  firefly  across  the  gloom  of  death. 
But  for  him,  I  should  sink  under  the  flood  of  my  afflictions,  or  lift  my  head 
above  the  waters,  like  the  alligator,  only  to  sigh." 

"  And  I  must  be  a  crocodile  myself,"  said  the  Creole,  giving  her  last  si- 
mile a  new  direction,  "  and  pretend  to  shed  tears  over  the  very  victim  I  co- 
veted." 

"  Aye,"  said  the  woman,  "  and  echo  the  song  of  sorrow  like  a  mocking- 
bird. I  could  teach  you  the  notes,  but  you  need  little  help  from  me  either 
of  head  or  hand.    Your  blow,  Walter,  was  well  struck  —  safely  and  surely." 

"  If  you  mean  my  cousin's  death,"  answered  the  Creole,  "  I  had  no  more 
hand  in  it  than  the  man  that  will  measure  him  for  his  coffin." 

"  Or  the  John  Crow  in  hanging  a  Maroon,"  retorted  the  woman,  "  but 
who  nevertheless  turns  death  to  account,  and  makes  a  feast  upon  the  car- 
cass. His  fall  will  aid  your  rise,  and  the  spiriting  away  of  Raby  will  leave 
you  free  to  love,  without  that  sensitive  plant  in  the  pasture.  One  more  re- 
move, and.  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel,  I  wish  you  joy  !  The  father  that  outlives 
this  must  be  made  of  the  nether  millstone  ;  but  if  he  be,  a  charmed  egg  may 
be  laid  at  his  door.  And  now  go  and  bury  your  dead,  and  ca'l  the  rabble 
tenantry  to  a  gloomier  feast  than  they  expected.  If  they  have  a  dance  now, 
it  must  be  in  cloaks  and  scarfs.  It  will  look  as  black,"  she  said,  smiling 
malignantly,  "  as  a  Dignity  Ball !" 

So  saying,  she  indulged  in  her  usual  embrace,  and  then,  with  less  than 
her  accustomed  agility,  she  made  off  through  the  gap  in  the  hedge  which 
Raby  had  left  in  his  flight.  Her  words  had  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
Creole.  Whether  he  had  discerned  Ringwood  amongst  the  fern,  and  im- 
mediately concerted  his  destruction,  must  remain  a  secret  impenetrable  to 
all,  save  the  Omniscient  Searcher  of  the  human  heart ;  but  his  subsequent 
address  and  counsel  to  Raby  seemed  too  certainly  to  prove,  as  his  step- 
mother inferred,  that  he  had  studied  to  turn  the  tragedy  to  his  own  benefit. 
With  all  her  knowledge  of  his  implacable  hatred  against  the  deceased, — 
with  all  her  participation  in  his  guilty  aspirings,  —  and  in  spite  of  her  own 
sinister  promptings,  she  acquitted  him  of  everything  but  the  secondary  sin 
of  rejoicing  in  the  death  of  his  enemy. 

•'  The  very  head  and  front  of  his  offending, 
Had  this  extent  —  no  more." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  progress  of  his  own  advancement  in  life  and  love  had 
been  adroitly  urged ;  the  very  tone  of  levity  even  with  which  the  calamity 
liad  been  mentioned,  contributed  to  deaden  whatever  natural  feeling  had 
been  excited  by  the  catastrophe,  and  with  a  considerable  de^iree  of  coinp;.- 
aure  St.  Kitts  proceeded  in  search  of  the  gamekeeper,  to  give  him  directions 


TYLNEY    HALL.  181 

for  the  removal  of  the  dead  body.  Guided  by  the  report  of  the  gun,  he  soon 
found  old  Mat,  whom  he  led  to'the  melancholy  spot  where  the  lifeless  bo«iy 
of  his  youns  master  lay  stiffening  in  his  orore. 

"  Oh!  my  God,"  exclaimed  the  aged  forester,  as  he  gazed  at  the  horrid 
spectacle,  "  when  will  there  be  an  end  to  accidents  with  c^uns  ?  Look  at  his 
chest;  he  must  have  been  leaning  on  the  muzzle.  Many  a  time  and  oft  I 
warned  him  against  the  like." 

"  It  was  no  accident,"  said  the  Creole. 

"No  accident!"  exclaimed  old  Mat,  with  astonishment,  "but  sure 
enough  here  's  his  own  gun  lying  in  the  fern,  loaded  and  primed." 

"  And  yonder  you'll  find  another,"  said  the  Creole,  pointing  towards  a 
clump  of  bushes,  "  with  the  pan  open  and  the  barrel  empty." 

The  gamekeeper  proceeded  to  the  spot,  and  to  his  arnazement  picked  up 
a  weapon  which  his  eye  instantly  recognised.  "This  is  a  different  sort  of 
gim,"  said  he,  as  he  carried  it  in  his  hand  to  the  Creole,  "  to  what  I  looked 
for.  I  thought  mayhap  to  find  an  old  musket  with  a  barrel  as  rusty  as  any- 
thing, and  a  lock  as  would  go  off  at  half-cock,  such  a  one  as  I  took  away 
from" Black  Will." 

"  No,  it  was  no  poacher  work,  Matthew,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  voice 
of  real  or  affected  distress,  "  it  was  a  nearer  and  dearer  hand  that  effected 
his  death." 

"  Good  heavens!"  exclaimed  the  gamekeeper,  taking  the  Creole's  hand 
with  a  look  of  deep  commiseration,  "  is  it  possible,  Mr.  Walter,  you  have 
been  so  misfortunate  ?  Why  you  will  be  wretched  and  heart-broke  all  the 
days  of  your  life." 

"No  —  his  brother,  —  his  brother!"  —  said  the  Creole  hastily,  whilst  the 
old  man  absolutely  gasped  with  surprise  and  horror  at  the  communication. 

*'  What,  Master  Raby  !"  he  exclauned  at  length,  "  him  as  hated  a  gun, 
and  cried  out  a^in  shooting  all  as  one  as  murder!  —  what  the  holy  could 
take  him  a  sporting?" 

"You  will  know  all  in  time,"  answered  St.  Kitts,  with  a  solemnity  and 
significance  that  at  once  excited  the  alarm  and  curiosity  of  the  forester. 
"But  now  call  your  men." 

Old  Mat  obeyed,  and  put  his  horn  to  his  lips ;  and  since  the  days  of  Robin 
Hood,  so  sorr}'  a  call,  in  more  senses  than  one,  was  never  wound  ;  it  was  a 
harsh,  unmusical  blast,  untruly  pitched,  and  abruptly  broken  off  by  a  sud- 
den sigh,  that  bespoke  the  heavy  heart  of  the  blower.  "  I  have  never  drop- 
ped a  tear  afore,"  he  said,  brushing  one  away  from  his  eyes,  "  since  my  own 
poor  boy  died  at  sea.  I  've  kep  'em  down  for  thirty  year,  but  they  've  come 
at  last,"  and  the  gray-headed  woodman  wept  till  his  broad  chest  heaved 
with  sobs  as  he  bent  over  the  beloved  remains  of  the  once  ^ay,  generous, 
and  gallant  R,ingwood. 

"  And  where  be  that  wretched  boy,  Raby?"  he  inquired,  when,  after  an 
interval,  he  had  mastered  the  first  burst  of  grief,  —  "where  have  he  hid  his 
miserable  head  ?" 

"  He  is  far  enough  off  by  this  time,  I  hope,"  replied  the  Creole,  "  to  elude 
all  pursuit." 

The  word  pursuit  struck  on  the  ear  of  the  old  retainer  like  a  knell  that 
sounded  for  the  whole  family  of  Tyrrel.  "Foul  play  !"  he  ejaculated  jn  an 
under  tone,  "  then  God  iiclp  Sir  Mark  !  the  load  was  heavy  enough  afore, 
but  this  doubh;  charge  will  blow  him  to  nothing."  The  under  keepers  now 
came  up,  and  with  faces  and  exclamations  of  wonder,  horror,  and  grief, 
looked  from  the  corpse  at  each  other;  but  the  prudent  senior  repressed  their 
(Questions,  and  directing  them  to  cut  down  a  few  branches,  a  sort  of  rude 
litter  was  formed,  on  which  they  carried  the  body  towards  the  Hall,  whilst 
the  Creole,  accompanied  by  Mat,  hastened  before  to  prepare  its  inmates  for 
the  reception  of  the  mournful  procession. 
6* 


iSsJ  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  Old  Mat  is  deuced  close  upon  it,"  remarked  Tom,  a  sharp,  shrewd  tel- 
le w,  to  his  mates,  at  a  momentary  halt  they  made  with  the  bier ;  "  but  to  my 
mind  this  bloody  business  has  something  u^ly  at  tlie  bottom  on  it.  If  them 
there  was  n't  shot-holes,  I  'd  clap  my  finger  on  iny  nose,  and  say  barkers. 
Well,  nobody  knows,  — the  truth  's  snug  enougii  at  this  present,  but  it  may 
come  out  some  day,  as  the  man  said  when  his  ferret  was  laid  up  in  a  rab- 
bit-burrow." 

"  And  for  my  part,"  answered  Sam,  a  fellow  of  obtuser  capacity  than  the 
former,  and  withal  somewhat  superstitious,  "  I  think  you  're  holding  sliaisht 
at  it,  that's  sartin.  Look  up  west  about,  lad,  at  the  "sun  settin,  —  he  's  like 
a  clot  of  blood,  be 'ant  un  ?  and  the  light's  more  like  hell-fire,  as  the  ranter 
talks  on,  than  what 's  natural ;  there  's  been  summut  done  to  ma^e  God  Al- 
mighty angersome,  —  mark  my  words  on  it." 

The  western  sky,  in  accordance  with  the  last  speaker's  description,  had 
really  assumed  an  awful  and  ominous  appearance.  The  glowing  sun,  as  if 
a  visible  type  of  the  All-seeing  Eye,  "  red  with  uncommon  wrath,"  slowly 
withdrew  behind  a  stupendous  range  of  dense,  pitch  black,  mountainous 
clouds,  from  whose  rugged  crests  ascended  jets  of  blood-red  flame,  and 
causing  a  lurid  glow  up  to  the  very  zenith,  whilst  enormous  breaks  and  fis- 
sures in  the  dark  volcanic  mass  served  to  disclose  the  intense  ardent  fires 
that  glowed  within,  suggesting  a  comparison  with  those  nameless  flames  to 
which  the  rustic  had  alluded.  Fantastic  clouds  of  a  lighter  texture,  and  por- 
tentous colours,  in  the  mean  time  ascended  rapidly  from  the  horizon,  and 
congregated  overhead  in  threatening  masses.  Peals  of  distant  thunder  mut- 
tered from  all  quarters  at  once,  as  unintermitting  almost  as  the  roar  of  the 
ocean.  The  wind  rushing  in  fitful  gusts  through  the  forest,  filled  the  air 
with  unearthly  moans,  and  sighs,  and  whisperings ;  and  the  dead  leaves 
rose  and  whirled  in  rings,  as  if  following  the  skirts  of  the  weird  beings  who 
are  said  to  dance  at  the  approach  nf  tempest  and  human  desolation.  Now 
and  then  a  solitary  drop,  inordmately  large,  fell  heavily  on  the  path,  like 
those  few  enormous  tears  which  Nature,  according  to  Milton, 

"  Wept  at  completion  of  the  mortal  sm." 

duelled  by  the  foreboding  spirit  of  the  time,  the  stoutest  heart  suffered  a 
depression, —  the  bold,  the  reckless,  and  the  boisterous,  walked  in  serious 
silence,  while  the  wild  animals  forgot  their  fear  of  man  in  a  more  absorbing 
terror.  The  hare  lingered  on  the  path, —  the  deer  scarcely  stirred,  —  and 
the  bird  sat  steadfast  on  the  bough,  with  one  anxious  eye  turned  upward  at 
the  troubled  heavens. 

As  quickly  as  their  mournful  burden  would  permit,  the  men  hurried  on 
their  course,  but  even  at  midway  the  forked  lightning  began  to  play  around, 
followed  at  still  shortening  intervals  by  deafening  crashes,  that  were  multi- 
plied by  the  surrounding  echoes,  till  rivaJ  giants  seemed  defying  each  other 
from  hill  to  hill.  Fierce  squalls  of  wind  tore  the  leaves  from  the  boughs, 
and  occasional  flaws  of  sleet  and  blinding  hail  flew  along,  and  sometimes 
returned  with  a  veering  blast.  A  dismal  gloom,  not  gradual,  but  sudden, 
came  on,  —  a  strange  sombre  opaque  shadow,  like  that  of  a  total  eclipse  of 
the  sun,  which,  in  conjunction  with  the  dazzling  of  the  lightning,  completely 
bewildered  the  eye,  and  more  than  once  the  bearers  stumbled  as  they  groped 
their  dreary  way,  associated  with  a  corpse,  as  it  were  through  the  Valley 
of  the  Shadow  of  Death. 

The  two  heralds  in  advance,  in  the  mean  time,  sped  onward  to  the  Hall, 
and  just  as  they  gained  the  shelter  of  its  devoted  roof,  the  storm  burst  in  all 
its  fury,  the  heavens  opened  and  discharged  slieets  of  blue  and  red  flame, 
with  explosions  that  shook  the  house  to  its  foundation.  The  wind  roared 
ana    raged    with  terrific   violence, —  doors   slammed,  —  casements   burs/^ 


TYLNEY    HALL.  183 

open,  and  the  fierce  hail  dashed  in  the  glass  of  those  that  remained  fasten- 
ed,—  the  curtains  streamed  wildly,  and  the  carpets  rose  in  billows.  Such 
was  the  aspect  of  the  drawing-room  when  the  Creole  entered  it,  followed 
by  the  game-keeper  ;  and  amidst  this  tumult  of  appalling  noises,  a  few  low 
words,  infinitely  more  terrible  and  stunning  than  the  whole  uproar  of  sound 
without,  informed  the  heart-stricken  Sir  Mark  that  he  was  worse  than 
childless,  and  raised  a  tempest  of  conflicting  human  passions  that  rivalled 
the  war  of  the  elements  in  violence,  and  was  doomed  long  —  long  to  out- 
last it  in  duration. 

At  such  a  climax  in  Tragedy,  the  Dramatist  considerately  drops  his  cur- 
tain :  and  with  a  similar  feeling  the  Author  will  proceed  no  further  with  his 
description;  but  leaves  the  domestic  desolation  for  the  Reader  to  picture, 
as  forcibly  and  circumstantially  as  his  imagination  may  suggest,  or  his  sen- 
sibility allow*. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

My  Father  ! 
Let  me  with  trembling  arms  embrace  thy  knees. 
Oh,  it'you-ever  wish  to  see  me  happy  j 
If  e'er  in  infant  years  I  gave  you  joy  ; 
When,  as  I  prattling  twined  around  your  neck. 
You  siiatch'.i  me  to  your  bosom,  ki-is'd  my  eyes, 
And,  melting,  said  you  saw  my  mother  there, 
Oil !  save  me  fiom  that  worst  severity 
0(  fate  I   Oh,  outrage  not  my  breaking  heart 
To  that  degree  !  I  cannot —  'tis  impossible. 
"So  soon  withdraw  it,  —  give  it  to  another. 

Tancred  and  Sigismunda. 

Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes. 

Old   Proverb. 

*'In  the  midst  of  life,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  we  are  in  death,"  —  a  sen- 
tence the  designer  of  Quarles's  Emblems  has  illustrated  by  representing  a 
little  figure  of  a  man  enclosed  within  the  ribs  of  a  gigantic  skeleton,  like  a 
bird  in  a  cage.  Little  indeed  did  Justice  R,ivers  think,  on  the  very  morn- 
ins:  of  the  day  which  ended  so  fearfully,  that  the  bars  of  that  awful  prison- 
house  were  closing  around  his  adopted  son-in-law,  whom  he  lately  beheld 
in  the  prime  of  youth,  health,  and  vigour:  on  the  contrary,  the  Magistrate, 
in  the  pride  and  joy  of  his  heart,  selected  that  very  evening  as  the  fittest 
opportunity  to  inform  his  daughter  of  the  very  eligible  election  he  had  made 
on  her  behalf.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  cloth  was  removed  after  din- 
ner, he  introduced  the  topic  of  marriage  with  a  pompousness  of  diction  and 
autiioritative  manner,  such  as  Dr.  Johnson  might  have  used  had  George  the 
Third  thought  proper  to  make  him  one  of  his  justices  of  the  peace.  As 
we  have  now  happily  progressed  beyond  the  formal  observances  of  those 
times  when  sons  knelt  for  blessings,  and  daughters  curtseyed  dutifully  to 
ordained  lovers,  the  oration  need  not  be  preserved  at  full  length  for  the  be- 
nefit of  the  rising  generation.  He  proved  very  satisfactorily,  he  thought, 
that  no  happy  or  well-constituted  marriage  could  ever  take  place  wilhout 
the  intervention  of  parents,  and  with  many  needless  professions  he  declared 
h?  was  ready  and  determined,  as  a  devoted  father,  to  do  his  own  duty  to  the 
uttermost,  in  providing  a  partner  for  his  daughter  who  should  be  every  wa} 
unexceptionable  to  himself.  This  part  of  the  subject  led  natwrallv  to  a 
flaming  eulogimn  on  Ringwood,  which  somehow  or  ntiier  glided  off  into  a 
paiiegyric  on  the  Tylriey  estates,  and  an  enumeration  of  the  advantages 


IS'l  TYLNEY   HALL. 

that  would  result  from  their  connexion  with  tliose  of  Hawksley.  To  all 
this  tedious  harangue,  poor  Grace  listened  with  the  distressed,"reluctant., 
revolting  tace  of  an  indii^ent  patient,  who  has  not  only  received  a  long  nau- 
seous prescripLion,  hut  is  obliged  to  wait  personally  at  the  apothecary's,  and 
witness  the  process  of  its  making  up.  Luckily^  the  orator  was  too  much 
absorbed  in  his  own  eloquence  to  notice  these  symptoms  ;  but  at  last  came 
a  summing  up  and  a  conclusion:  and  an  awkward  silence  ensued  as  he 
looked  vainly  for  something  equivalent  to  the  approving  hum  which  in  Crom- 
wfcU's  time  used  to  greet  the  termination  of  an  unctuous  and  well-rehshed 
sermon.  His  auditor  looked  disturbed,  vexed,  and  perplexed ;  and  in  a 
much  plainer  style  of  language  than  he  had  lately  used,  he  asked  her  ab- 
ruptly what  possible  reason,  or  shadow  of  a  reason,  she  had  to  urge  against 
the  match  he  proposed. 

"  Did  she  object  to  Ringwood's  person  ?" 

"  No." 

"  Or  his  morals  ?" 

"  No." 

"  Did  she  dislike  Sir  Mark  ?" 

"  Cluite  the  contrary." 

"  Didn  't  she  admire  the  Hall  ?" 

«  Yes." 

"  And  the  grounds  ?" 

"Extremely." 

"  Were  not  the  estates  contiguous  ?" 

*'  Most  assuredly,  but "  .♦ 

And  Grace  was  preparing  to  show  cause  against  the  rule,  when  she  was 
stopped  by  a  fresh  series  of  questions,  none  of  which  seemed  to  the  Justice 
to  require  an  answer,  and  therefore  he  allowed  no  time  for  reply.  For  in- 
stance, had  she  no  sense  of  the  obligations  of  duty,  affection,  graiitude, 
society,  and  common  sense?  —  did  she  presume  on  his  own  too  great  ten- 
derness, or  the  absence  of  a  mother's  authority,  or  that  she  could  judge  of 
her  own  interest  better  than  a  father  ? —  was  she  really  inclined  to  be  dis- 
inherited, or  only  affecting  a  little  maidenly  modesty? — or  had  she  been 
novel-reading  ?  —  with  many  other  such  queries  ;  so  that  before  they  came 
to  an  end,  Grace  had  divided  and  subdivided  the  paring  of  an  apple  into  the 
smallest  possible  shreds.  V/ith  a  faltering  voice  she  stammered  out  a  pro- 
fession of  filial  love  and  duty,  qualified,  however,  with  a  reservation  in  fa- 
vour of  affections  not  under  our  own  control,  —  which  availed  her  but  little. 
The  stern  magistrate  had  no  more  notion  of  such  uncontrollable  affections, 
than  of  uncontrollable  vagrants,  whilst  there  was  a  special  statute  which 
subjected  all  such  wanderers  to  be  apprehended,  whipped,  and  passed  tc 
their  own  parishes.  He  therefore  roundly  informed  his  daughter  that  she 
must  thenceforth  consider  her  heart  engaged,  as  well  as  her  hand,  for  the 
match  was  fixed  ;  and  therefore  she  might  suppose  whatever  discourse  he 
had  indulged  her  with,  as  having  only  been  engaged  in  to  promote  conver 
sation. 

It  now  became  necessary  to  speak  out ;  and  with  the  throbs  and  flutter 
of  a  new-caught  bird,  Grace  proceeded  to  plead  with  her  parent  for  her  na- 
tural liberty.  She  solemnly  pledged  herself  never  to  marry  without  his  con- 
Bent  ;  but  in  return,  expected  not  to  be  forced  into  wedlock  against  her  own 
inclination ;  and  finally  looking  closely  down  into  her  wine-glass,  as  if  de- 
tecting some  almost  imperceptible  flaw  in  it,  she  informed  him  she  had 
already  received  a  declaration,  from  a  member  of  the  family  he  wished  her 
to  enter  into,  and  then,  with  some  difficulty,  and  a  blush  that  came  and 
went  several  times  during  the  process,  she  managed  to  pronounce  the  name 
of  Raby  Tyrrel. 

"If  that  be  all,"  exclaimed  the  Magistrate,  with  one  of  his  grim  smiles, 


TYLNEY   HALL.  185 

"  we  shall  have  no  difficulty.  I  can  guess  your  scruples  ;  but  I  will  help 
your  inexperience  to  draw  up  a  proper  form  of  dismissal,  or,  how  say  you, 
Grace?  Shall  Nick  Ferrers  furnish  you  with  a  printed  form  of  discharji^e, 
to  fill  up  ?" 

"Oh!  it  is  no  jest!"  murmured  poor  Grace ;  and,  indeed,  th^^^mere  word 
dismissal  had  drowned  her  blue  eyes  in  tears.  "  I  am  afraid,  —  my  dear 
father  do  forgive  me  ;  but — "  and  hastily  running  to  him,  and  clasping 
hor  arms  round  his  neck,  she  sobbed  a  few  syllables  into  his  ear.  What- 
ever they  were,  a  magical  formula  could  not  ha>e  had  a  more  potent 
effect.  He  thrust  his  daughter  from  him,  and  backing  his  chair  a  couple 
of  yards,  sat  gazing  on  her  with  a  severe  set  look,  worthy  of  the  stern  stoic 
he  had  chosen  *br  his  model.  It  made  Grace  shrink,  and  clasp  her  little 
hands  so  firmly  to  her  eyes,  that  rings  and  spangles  of  pink  and  green, 
and  sold  colour,  began  dancing  before  them. 

"  Grace  !"  said  that  deep  voice,  which  was  never  assumed  but  the  words 
conveyed  some  infliction,  "  Ring  for  pen,  ink,  and  paper.  This  childish 
fancv,  and  its  object,  must  be  discarded  before  I  sleep." 

"Aty  dear  —  my  dearest  father!"  cried  the  terrified  girl,  advancing  and 
throwing  herself  on  her  knees  at  the  feet  of  her  obdurate  parent.  "Bid 
me  —  command  me,  do  any  thing  but  that  —  " 

"  NOTFIING  but  that !"  answered  the  voice,  with  a  positive  emphasis 
on  the  negative,  that  was  meant  to  put  an  end  to  the  debate  :  "  and  let  it 
be  done  before  bed-time,  if  you  value  my  nightly  blessing." 

*'  Then  God  help  me!"  exclaimed  Grace,  rising  up  and  lifting  her  hands 
and  her  flashing  eyes  tov."^rds  the  ceiling ;  "  for  I  must  appeal  from  one 
fatli#r  to  another  !  Hea\en  heard  my  vow,  and  I  dare  not  —  I  do  not  wish 
to  break  it ;  and  I  will  not !"  So  saying,  with  flushed  cheeks  and  forced 
composure,  she  went  and  seated  herself  on  the  sofa,  with  that  air  of  dignity 
which  results  from  a  sense  of  unmerited  harshness  and  injustice. 

The  Justice  was  thunderstruck.  He  knew  not  what  "woman,  when 
she  loves,  can  dare  ;"  and  this  avowed  rebellion  against  his  authority  aimed 
a  blow  at  his  whole  code  of  laws  —  civil,  moral,  and  divine.  But  his  tem- 
per was  not  hot:  it  was  cold,  and,  like  metal  when  cold,  inflexible  ;  accord- 
ingly he  met  his  daughter's  declaration  with  great  calmness  ;  nevertheless, 
he  abated  not  one  jot  of  his  determination  that  the  sentence  he  had  pro- 
nounced should  be  enforced.  Tea  passed  over  silently  and  serenely;  but 
it  was  the  calm  preceding  a  storm.  As  soon  as  the  meal  was  finished  he 
left  the  drawing  room,  and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  required  the 
presence  of  his  deughter  in  the  study. 

Tiiis  room  v,  as  Grace's  aversion.  She  never  willingly  set  foot  in  it ;  foi 
it  contained  the  gloomy  picture  of  the  Judgment  of  Brutus,  to  which,  with 
the  natural  partiality  of  a  child,  she  was  fain  to  attribute  the  extreme  seve- 
rity of  her  parent.  It  was,  in  itself,  a  painting  sufficiently  repulsive  :  the 
figures  were  of  the  size  of  life,  and  the  artist  had  contrived  to  throw  into 
tlie  Roman's  countenance  an  expression  of  rigid  austerity,  so  unrnitisated 
by  any  softer  conflicting  feeling,  that  the  spectator  could  not  help  thinking 
that  such  a  personage  was  fully  as  likely  to  excite  rebellion  and  cons))i- 
racy,  as  to  punish  it.  Moreover,  in  presence  of  this  obnoxioUs  picture, 
such  numerous  awards  of  fine,  imprisonment,  hard  labour,  and  stripes,  had 
been  made,  that  to  Grace's  fancy,  the  chamber  seemed  always  occupied 
\>y  an  atmosphere  of  sighs. 

It  is  always  acutely  painful  to  a  well-disposed  heart  to  find  itself  directly 
arrayed  against  the  will  of  a  parent ;  and  as  the  dau.^hter  si-ated  herself 
opposite  her  father,  as  it  were  taking  up  hostile  positions  preparatory  to 
tJ»e  attack  and  defence  of  adverse  feelings,  motives,  and  wishes,  a  pang 
smote  her  that  her  experience  had  never  matched  in  bitterness.     Some° 


86  TYLNEY   HALL. 

tiling  like  a  groan  escaped  her  as  she  settled  herself  in  her  chair,  and  sum 
inoned  all  her  heart,  soul,  and  strenj:th  to  aid  her  in  resistance,  for  the  first 
stran£:etime,  to  the  author  of  her  being.  The  two  minutes  that  elapsed 
before  he  spoke  seemed  a  weary  age.  But  at  last  came  the  toll  of  thai 
curfew  voice  to  command  the  extinction  of  the  flame  she  cherished. 

♦'  Grace,  from  your  cradle  till  this  hour  you  have  never  disobeyed  me. 
A  long  course  of  duty  must  not  now  be  effaced  by  an  act  of  deliberate  op- 
position. The  authority  I  derive  from  nature  must  be  sustained.  The 
blood  that  beats  in  your  heart  was  derived  from  me,  and  the  clothing  of 
your  hand  is^  flesh  of  my  flesh,  and  can  it  be  said  then  that  I  have  no  right 
to  dispose  of  one  or  control  the  affections  of  the  other?  No  !  by  the  death 
of  your  lamented  mother  I  have  rather  a  twofold  claim  to  direct  you,  and 
it  is  doubly  incumbent  upon  me  to  exercise  the  power  so  delegated,  and  to 
enforce,  if  necessary,  your  complete  submission.  If  the  sovereignty  of  a 
King  be  a  divine  right,  and  I  see  no  reason  to  impugn  the  doctrine,  how 
sacred  must  be  the  origin  of  a  parent's  jurisdiction,  where  the  subject  is 
indebted  to  the  supreme  head,  not  merely  for  liberty  and  protection,  but 
for  hfe  itself,  and  the  means  whereby  life  is  sustained.  Domestic  govern- 
ment indeed  is,  or  ought  necessarily  to  be,  a  pure  despotism,  seeing  that 
there  is  no  intermediate  estate  between  the  parent  and  the  child,  the  ruler 
and  the  ruled.  His  decrees,  consequently,  are  arbitrary  and  absolute,  ex- 
acting and  requiring  implicit  acquiescence.  Unlike  the  monarchical  sway, 
it  can  in  no  case  be  conferred  by  election  or  popular  suffrage,  nor  can  it, 
without  criminality,  be  abdicated  and  laid  down.  Ill,  therefore,  would  it 
become  me  to  concede  my  own  will  in  any  point,  and  especially  a  point  of 
magnitude,  thereby  annulling,  undermining,  and  vitiating  that  paramount 
principle,  which,  for  the  sake  of  domestic  polity,  I  am  imperiously  bound 
to  uphold.  The  ancient  title  of  Dictator,  attached  to  the  first  magistrate, 
who  was  considered  as  Pater  Familias,  expresses  my  own  view  of  the 
case,  and  at  this  moment  I  have  before  me  a  memorable  example  of  the 
inexorable  rigour  with  which  the  Romans  conceived  it  necessary  to  main- 
tain such  authority." 

The  last  allusion  was  fatal  to  the  courage  and  composure  of  poor  Grace. 
She  had  never  known  her  father  to  revoke  a  decision  which  he  had  backed 
by  the  example  of  Brutus  ;  and  the  reference  to  the  picture  assured  her  at 
once  that  no  terms  of  compromise  would  be  listened  to,  but  that  she  must 
either  submit  by  an  unconditional  surrender,  or  prepare  to  maintain  the 
independence  of  her  heart,  like  the  memorable  defence  of  Zaragoza,  by  a 
protracted  struggle  of  unexampled  misery  and  pertinacity.  She  could  not 
forbear  a  shudder  as  she  looked  at  the  set  determined  countenance  of  her 
father ;  and,  in  addition  to  her  mental  distress,  she  began  to  suffer  under 
that  physical  depression  and  discomfort  which  peculiarly  affect  some  indi- 
viduafs  at  the  approach  of  a  storm.  As  the  Justice  resumed  his  oration, 
every  pause  of  his  sonorous  voice  was  filled  up  with  the  muttering  of  dis- 
tant thunder,  a  deepening  gloom  fell  suddenly  in  the  apartment,  and  as 
Grace  cast  a  glance  through  the  window  which  looked  towards  the  Hall, 
she  saw  the  landscape  darkening  under  the  black  lowering  clouds,  and  the 
crooked  lightning  darting  angrily  along  the  horizon.  Even  thus  her  own 
prospect  in  life  was  suddenly  overcast  and  menaced  with  trouble  and  tem- 
pest, and  she  could  willingly  have  answered  the  moans  and  sighs  of  the 
wind  with  her  own. 

"  And  now,  Grace,"  said  the  Magistrate,  "  having  pointed  out  to  you  the 
line  prescribed  by  duty,  I  hope  a  child  of  mine  cannot  require  an  appeal 
to  her  affection  to  induce  her  to  thecourse  of  rectitude.  I  need  not,  I  hope, 
remind  her  that  the  path  pointed  out  to  her  by  parental  solicitude  .or  her 
welfare,  leads  eminently  to  her  own  happiness  and  advantage.    It  will  be 


TYLNEY    HALL.  187 

rafficient  to  Grace  Rivers  that  filial  piety  enjoins  a  cheerful  and  ready  obe- 
aience  to  the  will  and  wishes  of  the  best  of  fathers." 
Grace  hid  her  face  in  her  hands,  and  made  no  answer. 
*'  Speak,  I  command  you,"  said  the  Justice,  in  his  sternest  tone:  "Give 
me  your  promise  forthwith  to  receive  Ringvvood  as  your  accepted  lover, 
and  in  consideration  of  your  protrTpt  acquiescence  1  may  be  induced  to 
foririve  your  breach  of  duty  and  due  confidence  in  makinj;^  a  selection  of 
your  own  without  my  sanction,  privity,  or  concurrence." 

"  I  acknowledge  my  foult,"  said  Grace,  sobbing,  "  but,  indeed,  I  waited 
only  for  courage  and  opportunity  to  tell  you  all — " 

"  Enough,"  said  the  Magistrate,  in  a  softened  tone,  not  conceiving  it 
possible  that  a  rebellious  thought  could  have  survived  his  oration.  "  The 
past,  Grace,  is  pardoned  ;  and  now  prepare  to  meet  your  future  husband 
on  Wednesday,  for  in  the  interval  I  mean  to  visit  Sir  Mark,  and  settle  pre- 
liminaries ;  and  I  feel  assured  that  the  formation  of  such  a  desirable  match 
will  add  largely  and  universally  to  the  general  joy  at  the  festival  which  is 
about  to  take  place." 

A  startling  crash  of  thunder,  as  if  dashing  in  the  roof  of  the  house, 
seemed  to  ratify  the  sentence  just  pronounced.  The  father  sat  still  as  un- 
moved and  imperturbable  as  usual,  though  the  flash  which  belonged  to  tho 
shock  had  shivered  a  poplar  in  sight  of  the  window  ;  but  it  made  the  terri- 
fii^-d  girl  start  to  her  feet  with  a  smothered  scream,  as  she  saw  the  green 
tree  upon  which  she  had  been  gazing  instantaneously  stripped  and  whiten- 
ed by  the  rending  off  of  the  bark. 

"Let  the  disobedient  dread  the  bolt,"  said  the  Justice,  solemnly;  "but 
yoM,  Grace,  have  chosen  the  better  part.  Thero.  has  been  angry  weather 
between  ourselves,  but  it  has  only  served  to  clear  the  moral  atmosphere. 
Duty  resumes  its  sway  ;  aflection  shines  out  unobscured  ;  and  all  is  peace, 
Jiarmony,  and  domestic  serenity." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no  !"  exclaimed  Grace,  in  a  piercing  voice,  "I  do  not, — 
I  cannot  —  " 

"You  can,  you  must,  and  you  shall,"  repHed  the  Justice,  resuming  all 
his  austerity  of  voice,  and  knitting  his  brows  more  rigidly  than  ever.  "  You 
know  my  will.     Obey  it,  or  henceforth  be  no  daughter  of  mine." 

"  Then  heaven  pity  me,  for  I  am  fatherless,"  said  Grace,  mournfully,  and 
clasping  her  hands.  "If  you,  sir,  can  recall  affections  that  have  once  been 
given,  it  is  a  power  beyond  mine.  Discard  me  as  you  may,  my  heart  will 
never  cease  to  love  you  ;  it  will  always  turn  to  you  with  fond  remembrance  ; 
and  if  with  the  same  constancy,  the  same  tenacity,  it  clings  to  its  attach- 
ment elsewhere  —  " 

"Not  another  syllable,  I  charge  you,"  said  the  Justice,  "unless  you 
would  provoke  my  curse.  Know  that  to  this  desirable  contract  Sir  Mark 
Tyrrel  and  myself  have  been  pledged,  and  mutually  bound  in  honour,  for 
years  past.  Should  it  be  now  broken,  it  shall  not  be  said  on  the  other  part 
that  it  was  through  want  of  due  firmness  and  decision  on  mine." 

Grace,  however,  inherited  some  portion  of  her  father's  inflexibility  ;  and 
besides,  her  affections  were  now  deeply  engaged  to  Raby,  and  inspired  her 
with  that  devoted  spirit  of  enduring  constancy  that  belongs  to  a  woman's 
'ove.  Religion  never  made  more  martyrs  or  more  heroical  amongst  men, 
than  the  trndcr  passion  has  produced  of  the  gentler  sex.  A  gleam  of 
tnumph  shone  through  Grace's  tears,  as  she  determined  in  her  soul,  at  all 
hazards,  and  through  every  suffering,  to  remain  true  to  her  plighted  iaifh, 
vfirh  the  self-devotion  so  sweetly  recorded  of  lovers  in  ancient  song.  Her 
features  took  an  expression  of  resolve,  and  her  limbs  composed  tliemselvea 
in  a  less  forlorn  attitude,  as,  with  a  faltering  voice,  but  unfaltering  purpose, 
B.te  Dreathed  a  vow  never  to  bestow  her  hand  unless  her  heart  welit  with  it. 
"  And  take  my  solemn  vow  in  exchange,"  said  the  obdurate  parent,  ris- 


188  TYLNEY  HALL. 

ing  from  his  chair,  and  confronting  Jiis  daughter,  while  he  pronounced  each 
word  with  dehberate  emphasis— "Except  as  the  wife  elect  of  Ringwood 
Tyrrcl,  you  shall  have  no  more  a  home  in  my  heart  or  in  my  house,  so  help 
me  Heaven!" 

A  long  and  dreadful  silence  ensued,  whilst  the  father  and  daughter,  each 
as  pale  as  marble,  stood  thus  face  to  face,  and  looked  at  each  'other,  mu- 
tually astounded  by  the  unnatural  position  to  which  they  stood  thus  solemn- 
ly pledged.  The  lightning  flashed  fearfully  around;  the  thunder  rolled 
incessantly  ;  the  hail  dashed  furiously;  and  the  wind  had  become  a  hurri- 
cane ;  but  the  terrors  of  the  storm  Were  lost  upon  the  pair  thus  absorbed, 
each  suffering  the  pangs  of  a  bereavement  little  short  of  death.  At  last  the 
father  turned  abruptly  away,  and  began  to  pace  up  and  down  the  apart- 
ment ;  while  Grace  threw  herself  into  a  chair,  and,  laying  her  head  upon 
tiie  table,  gave  free  passage  to  her  tears.  In  the  mean  time,  in  walking  tc 
and  fro,  the  Justice,  occasionally  glancing  through  the  window,  perceived 
a  horseman  galloping  at  full  speed  through  the  storm  towards  the  house, 
but  it  was  so  dusky  that  he  was  unable  to  distinguish  the  livery  of  the 
Tyrrels  till  the  groom  dismounted  at  the  gate.  In  some  alarm  at  the  ap- 
parent urgency  of  the  mission  at  such  a  time,  be  hurried  from  the  room  to 
anticipate  the  tidings,  leaving  Grace  so  lost  in  grief  as  to  be  unconscious  of 
his  departure. 

About  ten  minutes  had  clasped,  and  she  was  still  weeping,  when  a  touch 
upon  her  shoulder  made  her  start  up,  and  she  beheld  her  father  looking  at 
her  with  an  indescribable  expression  on  his  face,  which  she  found  it  impos- 
sible to  interpret. 

"  Grace,"  he  said,  after  a  long  pause,  and  his  voice  had  an  unusual  qui- 
ver in  it,  and  the  hand  shook  violently  that  still  remained  on  her  shoulder, 
"  Grace,  I  have  dreadful  tidings  to  communicate  —  this  match  is  at  an  end 
with  Ringwood  Tyrrel." 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  father,  thanks,  thanks,"  sobbed  Grace,  sinking  at  his 
feet,  and  clasping  his  hand,  which  she  attempted  to  kiss,  but  he  drew  it 
away,  and  retreated  a  step  backwards. 

"  It  was  the  act  of  Heaven,  and  not  mine,"  he  said,  with  an  awe-struck 
look,  and  a  tone  of  deep  humiliation;  "God's  will  be  done!  I  intended 
Ringwood  for  my  son-in-law  ;  but  I  stand  rebuked.  He  is  gone  *  where 
"there  is  neither  marrying  nor  giving  in  marriage.'  " 

"  Ringwood  dead  !"  exclaimed  Grace ;  "  it  is  impossible  !"  and  she  fixed 
her  gaze  upon  vacancy;  for  at  such  announcements  the  mind  cannot  im- 
mediately reconcile  itself  to  the  conversion  of  a  familiar  living  image  into  an 
effigy  of  death. 

"  it  is  too  true,"  said  the  Justice,  shaking  his  head,  while  tears  dropped 
from  his  black  eyelashes  ;  "  and  God  comfort  ray  poor  old  friend.  To  lose 
his  first-born  son  was  a  heavy  calamity  enough,  without  blood  and  unna- 
tural violence." 

"Gracious  Heaven  !"  exclaimed  Grace,  almost  gasping  with  horror  and 
amazement,  and  shuddering  as  she  pronounced  the  name  of  St.  Kitts. 

"Worse — worse  tenfold,"  said  her  father;  "a  wretch  who  must  be 
called  a  brother!" 

He  proceeded  no  further,  for  at  the  last  word  Grace  c4ii)ied  a  piercing 
Bhriek,  and  fell,  as  if  shot,  upon  the  floor.  Her  cry  alarmed  all  the  house- 
hold, and  the  servants  rushed  into  the  room  before  the  distracted  parent  had 
presence  of  mind  enough  to  call  for  their  assistance.  With  the  utmost 
difficulty  the  poor  girl  was  restored  to  life,  if  it  could  be  called  living — for  at 
each  temporary  recall,  after  uttering  a  few  disjointed  syllables,  she  relapsed 
again  into  insensibility.  In  this  pitiable  condition  she  was  conveyed  into 
her  chamber,  and  placed  in  bed,  where  night  found  her  in  a  raging  fever 
and  deUrious. 


TYLNET   HALL.  189 

A.  favourite  with  the  household,  she  was  affectionately  attended  and 
nursed  by  the  old  housekeeper  and  another  female  domestic  who  had  been 
BtTach-'d  to  her  from  her  infancy,  and  many  a  sincere  tear  was  shed,  and 
many  a  fervent  prayer  put  up,  for  the  sorrows  and  the  recovery  of  the  dear, 
good,  and  beautiful  Grace  Rivers. 

The  stern  harsh  nature  of  the  Justice  relented  at  the  spectacle  of  his  only 
and  beloved  child  thus  stretched  upon  a  bed,  possibly  of  death  ;  and  he 
gave  waj'  to  his  feelings  with  a  violence  equally  unexampled,  and  unex- 
pected from  such  a  source.  In  reality  he  doted  upon  his  daughter,  and 
nothing  but  his  extravagant  notions  of  parental  right,  with  a  firm  conviction 
that  he  was  securing  her  welfare,  could  have  sustained  liim  in  the  sever** 
course  he  had  recently  pursued  towards  her.  But  his  plan  was  now 
wrecked ;  he  had  no  motive  for  harshness  ;  and  his  words  and  manner  in- 
dicated notliing  but  the  intense  anxiety  and  affliction  of  a  fond  father.  He 
passed  the  whole  night  in  his  study  receiving  frequent  reports  of  her  state, 
or  paymg  visits  to  her  bedside ;  but  alas,  only  to  be  shocked  by  her  inco- 
herent ravings,  which  drove  him  down  stairs  again,  to  watch  and  pray  in 
agony  for  the  arrival  of  the  physicians,  who  had  been  sent  for  by  express. 

It  is  worthy  of  serious  reflection,  as  illustrating  the  uncertainty  of  human 
plans  and  the  vanity  of  human  wishes,  that,  at  the  very  time  when  the  Jus- 
tice was  so  absolutely  broaching  his  matrimonial  s^^heme  to  his  daughter, 
and  even  whilst  he  was  asserting  the  infallibility  of  his  own  will,  and  pre- 
sumptuously shaping  the  course  of  events  —  at  that  very  hour  was  the 
bridegroom  of  his  election  struck  dead  ;  thus  signally  vindicating  the  supre- 
macy of  the  Divine  Will,  in  accordance  with  the  adage  which  serves  for  a 
motto  to  the  present  chapter.  Reflections  akin  to  this  forced  themselves  on 
the  mind  of  the  magistrate  during  his  solitary  watch,  and  with  a  chastened 
spirit  he  acknowledged  tlie  rebuke;  but  as  too  often  happens,  where  the 
author  of  the  infliction  may  not  be  murmured  at,  or  arraigned,  the  reproach 
fell  upon  the  instrument.  The  past  conduct  and  character  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Raby  were  reviewed  with  the  merciless  malignity  ascribed  to  a  Vene- 
tian inquisitor ;  his  acts  were  remorselessly  scrutinised,  and  his  motives 
wrested  by  uncharitable  construction  into  infernal  impulses.  He  was  ac- 
cused of  aggravated  fratricide,  condemned  unheard,  branded,  and  put  under 
ban,  —  the  implacable  demands  of  rigid  justice  resumed  their  sway  with  a 
more  vindictive  craving  than  had  hitherto  belonged  to  them,  and  in  a  very 
unchristian  spirit  the  magistrate  determined  to  exert  himself  on  the  track  of 
the  murderer,  and,  employing  all  his  means  and  sagacity,  to  pursue  him 
with  the  unrelenting  purpose  of  the  bloodhound. 

In  this  resolve,  the  feelings  of  his  daughter  found  no  allowance.  Love 
in  his  estimation  was  but  as  one  of  those  slight  epidemics,  easily  caught, 
and  as  easily  cured  by  proper  treatment ;  and  indeed  frequently  got  over 
without  any  treatment  at  all.  As  for  the  repugnance  of  Sir  Mark  to  a  cri- 
minal prosecution,  an  admirer  of  Brutus,  with  a  monomania  on  the  subject 
of  justice,  could  not  reasonably  be  expected  to  spare  a  son  who  wag  not 
his  own. 


T— 7 


li/0  TYLNEY    HALL. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


He  is  dead  and  gone,  lady, 
He  is  dead  and  gone  ; 
At  his  head  a  green-grass  turf, 
At  his  heels  a  stone. 


Hamle-p 


Weeping  maiden,  sorrow  laden, 
Why  in  brine  such  glances  smother  ? 
If  your  lover  can  't  recover, 
Will  red  eyes  entice  another  ? 

FURNIVAL. 

Death  falls  like  a  bomb-shell.  Wherever  it  may  strike,  the  explosion 
scatters  destructive  fra«Tments  on  every  side,  inflicting  wounds  and  anguish 
of  various  magnitude  and  degree.  Thus,  whilst  desolation  came  upon  the 
Hall  and  Hawksley,  a  portion  of  the  same  cruel  affliction  was  carried  to 
Squire  Ned,  by  Dick  the  huntsman  ;  and  Bob,  the  whip,  galloped  over  to 
Hollington  with  similar  mtelligence. 

Like  tidings  to  King  Henry  came 
Within  as  short  a  space, 
That  Percy  of  Northumberland, 
Was  slain  in  Chevy  Chase. 

And  the  difference  of  manner  with  which  the  tidings  were  received  by  the 
two  kings  in  the  old  ballad,  was  paralleled  in  the  two  last  instances.  The 
Squire  listened  to  the  heavy  news  of  Ringwood's  fall,  with  the  desponding 
reflection  of  the  Scottish  monarch,  that  death  could  not  have  stricken 
another  of  such  account  as  he,  "  Shot  like  vermin  !"  he  ejaculated,  after  a 
pause  of  stupor  ;  and  rushing  off' to  the  stable,  he  began  saddling  a  horse  with 
his  own  hands.  In  a  few  minutes  he  was  mounted,  and  in  another  he  was 
dashing  along  amidst  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain,  with  the  desperate  gal- 
lop of  a  Spectre  Horseman,  ever  and  anon  repeating  bis  first  ejaculation, 
throuijhout  his  dreary  ride,  and,  at  each  exclamation,  burying  the  spur  up 
to  therowels  in  the  flanks  of  his  steed. 

The  shock  to  the  citizen's  feelings,  on  the  contrary,  took  a  selfish  turn, 
and  gave  his  alarm  a  singular,  but  characteristic,  direction.  With  as  much 
curiosity  as  concern,  while  the  whipper-in  stood  dripping  and  shivering  be- 
fore him,  Twigg  required  as  circumstantial  a  narrative  of  the  catastrophe  as 
the  man  could  give ;  the  auditor  occasionally  turning  up  his  eyes,  flapping- 
with  his  hands,  and  making  a  clucking  sound  with  his  tongue  against  the 
roof  of  his  mouth,  and  when  the  melancholy  tale  was  ended,  he  proceeded 
to  give  vent  to  his  emotions. 

"Very  shocking,  very  shocking  indeed!  I'll  pack  'em  all  off',  stock  and 
lock,  there  shan't  be  so  much  as  a  pocket-pistol  about  the  Hive,  as  sure  as 
my  name  is  Twigg." 

There  is  an  old  saying  that  extremes  meet,  and  no  adage  can  be  more 
strikingly  verified  than  this  is  in  human  life,  by  the  frequent  encounter  of 
the  serious  and  the  ludicrous  on  the  same  occasion.  There  cannot  be  a 
more  erroneous  notion  than  that  popular  one,  which  appropriates  to  mirth 
and  grief  each  its  own  pecidiar  stage,  like  the  Parisian  theatres,  where  one 
house  is  devoted  to  tragedy  and  another  to  comedy  ;  whereas  the  world  is 
a  vast  stage  ;  whereon  tragedy,  comedy,  and  farce,  are  not  only  acting  at 
once,  but  sometimes  by  the  same  performer.  Of  this  truth  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  characters  in  its  drama  must  have  been  well  aware,  when  he 


TYLNEY    HALL.  191 

pronounced  his  memorable  sentence,  that  "  from  the  sublime  to  the  ridicu- 
lous is  but  a  step."  Even  thus  closely  lie  the  domains  of  laughter  and  tears, 
divided,  not  by  an  impassable  frontier,  as  some  suppose,  but  dubiously 
separated  by  a  debatable  land,  leaving  easy  access  to  either  territory,  and, 
of  course,  subjecting  the  rival  kingdoms  to  frequent  incursions.  Thus  tears 
are  seen  at  festivals,  and  smiles  at  funerals  ;  nay,  laughter,  in  the  writer's 
experience,  has  mingled  with  lamentation  in  the  chamber  of  death.  Never- 
theless even  Shakspeare,  the  best  judge  of  man,  next  to  his  Maker,  and 
the  best  acquainted  with  the  human  heart,  has  been  moused  at  by  some  of 
his  owlish  critics,  for  his  abrupt  transitions  from  the  pathetic  to  the  humor- 
ous, as  if  such  were  not  the  very  warp  and  Woof  of  our  variegated  fabric. 
These  alternations  of  lights  and  shadows  are  imperatively  necessary  to  a 
faithful  picture  of  life  ;  but  it  is  sometimes  made  a  cause  of  reproach  to  the 
painter  tliat  he  should  be  accessible  at  a  tragical  occurrence  to  any  livelier 
associations,  as  if  the  same  tearful  eye  that  appreciates  the  sorrows  of  the 
inmates  of  a  house  of  mourning,  should  see  nothing  but  melancholy  in  the 
smirks  of  the  two  smug  mutes  at  the  door.  But  death  himself  sometimes 
cuts  a  caper  in  mockery,  and  the  very  skull  of  man  wears  a  grin,  comme- 
morative of  the  farcical  passages  in  the  serio-comic  entertainment  that  is 
over.  There  is  a  class  in  the  present  day  called,  par  excellence,  exclusives, 
but  the  Passions  do  not  belong  to  this  caste,  they  meet,  mingle,  and  shake 
hands.  They  are  not  bigoted  sectarians  and  separatists,  but  congregate 
and  communicate  freely  in  one  great  temple  —  the  human  heart;  so  that 
life  becomes  from  the  mixture  a  sort  of  Irish  wake,  a  medley  of  joy  and  sor- 
row, with  some  weeping,  and  some  laughing,  desolation  and  jollification, 
howling  and  singing,  praying  and  drinking,  loving  and  fightins,  with  the 
grave  in  the  back  ground.  Even  the  same  passion  will  sometimes  trans- 
form itself  so  utterly,  as  to  raise  doubts  of  its  identity  ;  thus  Grief,  in  pass- 
ing iierely  from  house  to  house,  will  change  in  manners  and  costume  as 
much  as  if  she  had  travelled  from  London  to  Paris,  and  thence  to  Peters- 
burg and  Amsterdam.  In  one  place,  for  example  —  pale,  M'ith  dishevelled 
hair  and  neglected  dress,  she  will  sit  as  still  as  a  statue,  a  very  Niobe,  in 
all  but  the  trickling  motion  of  her  tears.  In  another,  clad  in  fashionable 
sables,  she  will  weep  becomingly  into  white  cambric,  as  gracefully  affected 
as  at  her  first  perusal  of  Charlotte  and  Werter.  In  a  third,  cased  in  "  abo- 
minable blacks,"  instead  of  spring  silks,  she  mopes  less  like  sorrow,  than  a 
fit  of  the  sulks.  Elsewhere  you  may  find  her  violent,  hysterical,  and  noisy, 
raining  like  St.  Swithin,  sobbing,  snuffing  up  salts,  and,  at  measured  inter- 
vals, bursting  into  a  loud  exclamation,  as  if  instead  of  crying  for  a  husband, 
she  was  crying  mackarel.  Finally  you  may  meet  her  at  Brighton  for  a 
change  of  scene,  fat,  fair,  and  forty,  telling  you,  with  the  comely,  cosy  com- 
posure of  a  quakeress,  that  her  heart  is  broken,  she  is  tired  of  life,  and  her 
address  is  10,  Brunswick  Terrace. 

The  judicious  reader,  therefore,  will  not  be  surprised  to  find  the  grief  at 
Hawksley  and  the  grief  at  Hollington  not  so  exactly  alike  as  two  twin 
sisters,  whose  dresses,  moreover,  have  been  out  of  the  same  piece,  and 
made  up  in  the  same  fashion. 

As  soon  as  Twigg  had  dismissed  the  whipper-in,  —  and  his  agitation  did 
not  make  him  forget  doing  what  is  genteel,  for  he  considerately  dipped  his 
hand  into  his  pocket,  and  gave  Bob  a  half-crown,  as  if  he  had  brouijht  hiu\ 
a  hare  —  he  fell  into  soliloquy.  Since  the  memorable  fete  at  the  Hive,  the 
Twigg  family  had  never  attempted  another ;  and  for  some  time  past,  their 
speculations  had  been  very  busy  with  the  festival  at  the  Hall,  and  particu- 
larly whether  it  would  turn  out  any  better  than  their  own.  The  downfall 
of  the  domestic  jubilee  consequently  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  citi- 
zen's meditations. 

"Good  lord!  good  lord!"  he  said,  "here's  a  domestic  family  blow  ! 


192  TTI.NEY    HALL. 

It's  come  down  what  I  call  thick  and  threefold.  Poor,  dear,  Sir  Mark 
Tyrrel,  Baronet,  how  I  feel  for  him  ;  such  a  dreadful  misfortune  for  a  man 
of  his  property  !  Eldest  son  and  heir  —  tents,  tables,  illuminations,  twen- 
ty-one guns,  and  every  thing — shocking  —  shocking  —  shocking — and 
only  just  coming  of  age.  We  may  well  say  what  is  life  —  all  feasting  to- 
day, and  all  fasting  to-morrow  —  all  dancing  and  jigginor,  and  singing  and 
bands  playint:r,  and  flag  flying,  and  bells  ringin;^:,  and  huzzaing  one  minute, 
and  the  next  moment  quite  another  sort  of  thing  —  yes,  yes,  I  can  enter  into 
a  father's  feelings.  Well,  I  never  did  like  fire-arms,  but  my  mmo  's  made 
up.  It  might  be  my  own  case  before  I  could  say  Jack  Robinson  —  and  such 
a  tine  well-grown  young  man  too —  to  be  born  to  such  property,  and  never 
can  come  into  it.  Poor  'Tilda!  she'll  go  half  crazy.  Toasts  —  senti- 
ments—  speechifying,  and  a  whole  roasted  bullock  —  cut  off'  in  his  prime 
as  you  may  say  —  and  just  when  people  were  going  to  wish  him  many  re- 
turns of  the  day  —  poor  boy  —  but  such  is  man  —  it's  quite  a  warning —  who 
knows  —  here  I  am  —  and  to-morrow  here  I  ain't  —  I  '11  certainly  make  a 
will,  and  dispose  of  my  property  —  Oh  dear,  dear!  Sir  Mark  must  make 
sad  alteration  in  his ;  one  son  dead,  and  the  other  absconded.  Well, 
tluink  God,  T.  junior,  has  no  brother  to  shoot  him  through  and  through 
like  a  mad  dog.  It's  a  very,  very  bad  business  —  worse  than  a  regular 
smish,  says  you,  with  shutters  up,  execution  in  the  house,  and  everything.'* 

"  Mercy  on  us  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Twigg,  who  had  entered  the  room 
during  the  last  sentence  of  his  soliloquy,  "  what  frightful  fancies  is  run- 
ning in  your  head  ?" 

"  I  wish  they  were  fancies,  Ma'am,"  answered  Twigg,  with  a  voice  un- 
usually solemn  ;  "  but  fancy  can't  shoot  a  young  man  through  the  body  — 
and  fancy  can't  put  off"  all  the  to-do  at  the  Hall —  and  fancy  didn't  come 
here  on  a  tearing  horse,  through  ihunder  and  lightning  —  and  fancy  is  n't 
Bob  the  whipper-in"  —  he  continued,  conceiving  this  discourse  upon  fancy 
equal  to  what  is  called  breaking  the  news  —  "and  it  wasn't  fancy  that 
told  me,  that  Raby  Tyrrel  had  taken  up  his  gun  like  Cain,  and  shot  his  own 
brother." 

"  His  own  brother!  — what,  Ringwood  !"  shrieked  out  Mrs.  Twigg,  while 
her  husband  precipitately  rushed  for  a  chair  for  her  to  swoon  in ;  but,  con- 
trary to  his  expectations,  she  showed  ho  tendency  to  insensibility  :  pro- 
bably, because  she  had  already  fainted  so  much  at  the  flashes  and  claps  of 
the  storm  that  she  was  out  of  fits.  After  a  minute  of  consideration,  she 
turned  hastily  round  and  rushed  out  of  the  room,  and  a  sound  followed  like 
the  rumble  of  a  parish  engine  descending  the  church  steps,  except  that  ihe 
noise  went  up  the  stairs  instead  of  coming  down  —  then  came  a  loud  scream 
from  over  head,  with  a  bustle  of  feet,  answered  by  the  violent  continuous 
ringing  of  a  bell  in  the  lower  story,  and  a  prolonged  clatter  of  many  per- 
sons rushing  up  from  below.  Following  the  direction  of  the  human  current, 
t!ie  father  hurried  upwards  to  his  daughter's  apartment,  where  he  found  her 
in  strong  fits,  with  the  mother  slapping  one  hand,  and  her  milliner  crooking 
.  the  little  finger  of  the  other. 

It  is  or  was  the  custom  of  the  modem  Romans  to  parade  their  dead  re- 
lations through  the  streets  ;  and  Dr.  Truster  mentions  seeing  a  portly  de- 
funct thus  carried  in  state,  in  his  holyday  suit,  with  one  hand  holding  a 
liouncing  nosegay,  and  the  other  stuck  gracefully  in  his  side.  As  pale  as 
death,  and  tricked  out  according  to  the  last  new  fashion  from  Paris,  which 
she  had  been  trying  on  preparatory  to  the  fete  at  the  Hall,  Miss  Twigg 
might  have  been  taken  for  a  body  undergoing  its  adornment  for  a  similar 
ce^monial.  A  pink  satin  had,  as  if  in  studious  contrast  to  her  complexion, 
made  her  look  "  very  dead  indeed,"  while  a  silk  dress,  of  a  pattern  not  at 
that  time  old-fashioned,  on  a  white  ground,  displayed  large  bunches  of 
7oses,  lilies,  and  some  nondescript  blossoms,  looking  as  if  the  hand  of  regret 


TYLNEY    HALL.  193 

had  strewed  her  witli  flowers.  But  she  soon  literally  kicked  down  this 
comparison,  by  her  fit  assumins^  that  convulsive  character  vulgarly  distin- 
guished as  kicking  hysterics  ;  and  leaving  the  little  finger,  the  milliner  was 
fain  to  snatch  ofi'  the  l)ecoming  hat,  and  to  prevent  two  remarkably  active 
feet  from  entangling  themselves  in  the  surrounding  flounces. 

*'  Screech,  my  love,  it  will  relieve  you,"  said  the  anxious  mother,  raising 
her  daughter  as  she  spoke  into  a  favourable  position  for  the  exertion  of  her 
voice  ;  and  accordingly  Matilda  gave  a  scream  that  convinced  the  vvhole 
household,  if  not  the  whole  neighbourhood,  that  she  was  alive;  at  the  same 
time  striking  out  with  both  arms  and  legs  as  if  really  swimming  in  what 
Hamlet  calls  "  a  sea  of  troubles." 

"  Hold  her  arms,"  exclaimed  the  father,  advancing  for  the  purpose  ; 
"  why  the  devil  do  n't  you  lay  her  on  the  bed  ?" 

"  The  worst  place  in  the  world,"  cried  the  milliner,  interposing  in  dread 
of  the  proposed  rumbling  of  the  new  dress.  "  But  gentlemen  k.iow 
nothing  of  these  things,"  she  added,  with  a  significant  look  at  Mrs.  Tvvigg, 
which  said  "  turn  him  out"  as  plainly  as  if  it  had  come  from  the  one-shilling 
gallery  of  a  playhouse. 

"Mr.  T.,"  said  the  lady,  taking  the  hint,  "you  do'nt  know  what  in- 
sensibility is.  Leave  her  to  us,  poor  dear  !  and  I  'II  answer  for  her  coming- 
to  directly  you  are  out  of  the  room." 

"As  much  as  to  say,  ma'am,"  retorted  Twigg,  angrily,  "that  it's  all 
'sharn  Abraham,'  and  as  such  can  recover  as  convenience  dictates.  But  as 
lam  a  little  solicitous,  an  early  opportunity  will  oblige;  not  but  what  I 
think,  at  bringing-to  a  daughter,  a  father  might  help  as  well  as  a  mother  ;'* 
and  by  way  of  proving  his  assertion,  as  he  stalked  out  of  the  apartment,  he 
closed  the  door  with  a  slam  that  might  have  awakened  the  Seven  Sleepers. 

No  sooner  was  he  gone  than,  as  Mrs.  Twigg  had  predicted,  the  patient 
actually  unclosed  her  eyes,  and  her  feelings  regained  a  state  of  composure 
as  suddenly  and  completely  as  when  a  whaler  is  dashed  to  pieces,  and  lulls 
the  troubled  surface  of  the  waters  with  her  whole  cargo  of  oil. 

And  now,  lest  it  be  supposed  that  a  pen  —  none  of  the  hard  short-nibbed 
sort,  but  one  of  the  softest  ever  shaped  —  could  make  itself  merry  with  dis- 
appointed affection  or  real  distress,  it  must  be  unwillingly  written  to  the 
discredit  of  the  sex,  that  the  young  lady's  grief  was  no  greater  than  a  fresh 
admirer  could  dissipate. 

Since  the  f&ie  champetre  at  the  Hive,  the  son  of  a  baronet  had  been  los- 
ing ground  to  the  son  of  a  lord,  and  Miss  Twigg  had  determined  to  set  her 
cap,  and  the  new  pink  hat  to  boot,  at  the  honourable  Mr.  Danvers,  some  of 
whose  looking  on  she  had  taken  to  herself  The  ambition  of  the  mother 
encouraged  this  second  flirtation  ;  but  something  was  due  to  decorum  on 
the  interment  of  the  first.  Hence  this  dramatic  burst  of  sorrow ;  after 
which,  if  the  heart  of  Matilda  sang  any  dirge  at  all  over  the  departed  Ring- 
wood,  it  was  to  the  tune  of  that  mo  it  prudential  of  ditties, 

'T  is  well  to  be  off  with  the  old  love 
Before  you  are  on  with  the  new. 


194  TYLNEV    HALI^ 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


'T  is  water,  here  U  h  water  there, 
'Tis  water,  water,  every  where. 

The  Ancient  Mariner. 

Rumour  is  a  pipe 
Blown  by  surmises,  jealousies,  conjectures  j 
Ami  of  so  easy  and  so  plain  a  stop. 
That  the  blunt  monstei  with  uncounted  heada, 
The  siill  discordant  wavering  multitude, 
Can  play  upon  it. 

King  Henry  IV.  Part  IL 

TnR.auGHolTT  the  day  succeeding  the  storm,  the  rain  poured  as  at  t\vi 
old  deluge,  and  the  sun  rose  the  next  mornini^  on  an  unusual  scene.  Where 
his  beams  had  before  glittered  but  on  dew-drops,  they  now  glistened  over 
a  wide  expanse  of  water;  where  formerly  a  winding  sluggish  mist  betrayed 
the  course  of  the  latent  broolc,  the  light  now  danced  on  a  broad  brawling 
river  ;  trees  that  used  to  cast  long  horizontal  shadows  across  the  meadows^ 
nov/  showed  inverted  reflections,  tending  downwards  from  their  feet ;  what 
used  to  be  hills  were  now  become  islands  swarming  with  horses,  cattle,  deer, 
sheep,  pigs,  and  even  hares  and  rabbits,  while  the  lapwing  screamed  pit- 
eously  over  a  watery  waste  that  had  once  been  a  heath.  Such  a  flood  had 
not  occurred  in  the  county  within  the  memory  of  man.  Rills  had  swelled 
to  rivulets,  brooks  to  rivers,  and  the  rivers  themselves  were  become  roaring, 
raging  toirents.  Bridges  were  carried  away,  hay  and  corn  stacks  floated 
off,  and  uprooted  trees  were  whirled  along  with  the  current.  Even  the 
"  gentle  streamlet,"  beside  which  Raby  and  Grace  had  plighted  their  troth, 
was  now  a  rapid,  in  parts  white  with  foam,  and  elsewhere  as  dark  and 
troubled  as  the  future  course  of  the  love  it  helped  to  commemorate.  The 
little  bridge  had  been  swept  away,  and  a  venerable  weeping  willow,  a  sort 
of  vegetable  King  Lear,  showed  plainly  that  its  hoary  head  had  been  ex- 
posed to  "  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm,"  and  half  uprooted  by  the  sap- 
ping of  the  banks,  seemed  meditating  to  cast  itself  into  the  turbid  waters. 

Considerable  damage  was  suffered  in  the  hamlet,  —  cellars  were  turned 
nto  cold  baths,  and  floors  and  kitchens  were  well  washed  without  much 
advantage  in  point  of  cleanliness  ;  whilst  the  villagers  stepped  from  their 
houses,  like  the  Venetians,  into  boats.  Animals  of  various  kinds  had  been 
drowned,  and  two  or  three  unfortunates  of  human  kind  were  reported  to  be 
missing. 

EviU.idings  are  swift  of  passage.  They  seem  to  copy  the  flight  of  eagles, 
vultures,  kites,  and  all  those  creatures  equally  swift  and  cruel,  which  brmg 
sharp  beaks  and  talons  wherewith  to  tear  and  to  torture  the  vitals.  In  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time,  in  spite  of  interrupted  communication,  the 
destruction  of  bridges,  and  the  stoppage  of  mails,  the  news  of  the  violent 
death  of  Ringwood  Tyrrel  was  spread  throughout  the  county.  It  flew  from 
house  to  house,  and  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  with  the  ravages  of  the  storm 
and  the  flood,  —  the  rending  of  oaks,  —  the  blasting  of  cattle,  and  the  firing 
of  stacks,  the  fearful  bolt  that  had  fallen  upon  Tylney  Hall  became  a  topic 
of  popular  conversation. 

Traveller"  by  old  repute,  are  liars,  and  a  story  in  the  course  of  its  jour- 
^leyings  invariably  becomes,  at  each  succeeding  stage,  rather  less  addicted 
to  the  truth.  —  Thus,  in  the  progress  of  the  melancholy  narrative  from  place 
to  place,  it  acquired  many  considerable  and  circumstantial  additions,  which 
passed  not  the  less  currently  that  they  were  all  forgeries.     F'"  instance, 


TYLNEY    HALL.  195 

Raby  was  reported  not  only  to  have  murdered  his  brother,  but  to  have 
attempted  the  life  of  his  father  by  poison,  the  deadly  ingredient  even  beino; 
particalarized  by  name;  howheit,  one  version  said  laurel-water,  another 
arsenic,  and  a  third  corrosive  sublimate.  In  another  quarter  it  was  as  con-* 
fidentlv  affirmed  that  Sir  Mark  had  destroyed  himself,  thougn  the  accounts 
still  differed  whether  by  laudanum,  a  pistol,  or  a  rope  ;  while,  m  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county,  he  had  as  certainly  gone  raving  mad,  and  been  coerced 
into  a  strait  waistcoat.  In  short,  the  most  extravagant  rumours  prevailed, 
but  the  main  facts  being  based,  alas !  upon  immutable  truth,  were  univer- 
sally the  same ;  and  wherever  the  dreadful  deed  was  discussed,  speculation 
became  busy  with  chances,  and  characters,  and  motives  :  and  the  ultimate 
decision,  as  the  Creole  had  predicted,  was  unfavourable  to  his  fugitive  kins- 
man. The  murder  of  Sir  John  Dinely,  by  a  brother  covetous  of  his  estates, 
was  frequuntly  quoted,  and  the  cutting  off  of  Ringwood  just  at  the  point  of 
his  coming  of  age,  was  particularly  insisted  on  to  countenance  the  most 
dark  and  dreadful  conjectures.  Probably,  such  is  the  intense  selfishness  of 
somtj  natures,  the  prevention  of  the  promised  festival  had  occasional  weight 
in  those  decision?.  Tears  were  shed  that,  perhaps,  belonged  more  to  dis- 
appointment than  pity,  as  useless  finery  was  consigned  to  its  ancient  recep- 
tacles ;  and  a  few  coarse  and  brutal  individuals  were  even  heard  openly  to 
execrate  the  unfortunate  fratricide  for  killing  his  brother  on  the  wrong  side 
of  the  feast.  The  vulgar  appetite  for  the  terrible  and  the  marvellous,  and 
a  consequent  tendency  to  heap  horror  on  horrors,  had  had  some  share  in 
these  exaggerations  and  insinuations,  a  portion  of  which  moreover  were  to 
be  traced  to  the  notorious  suspicions  of  the  under-keepers  at  the  Hall,  who 
had  been  confirmed  in  their  surmises  by  the  supernatural  signs  and  omens 
which  a  superstitious  fancy  had  supposed  to  accompany  the  removal  of  the 
corpse.  The  lightning  was  declared  to  have  fluttered  and  hovered  about 
the  dead  body  in  an  extraordinary  manner;  and  in  supreme  corroboration 
was  the  fact,  (a  curious  coincidence,  though  quite  a  natural  occurrence,) 
that  the  fatal  weapon  had  been  struck  from  the  hand  of  the  assistant  who 
carried  it,  and  was  found  the  next  morning  with  its  bright  barrels  changed 
by  the  electric  fluid  into  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow.  "^ 

Amongst  all  these  harsh  inquisitors  no  one  thought  of,  or  sympathized 
with,  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  distracted  fugitive,  who  had  rushed,  in 
a  state  of  mind  difficult  to  conceive,  into  the  wild  forest,  to  encounter  the 
united  assaults  of  anguish,  despair,  remorse,  and  terror,  in  the  midst  of 
darkness,  storm,  and  desolation.  Startled  by  the  woman's  wild  exclama- 
tions, he  had  taken  to  flight,  pursued  by  every  infernal  fiend  that  can  haunt 
the  mind  of  man,  and  with  all  his  speed  ran  to  and  fro,  he  knew  not  whither, 
m  the  panting  bewilderment  of  the  hunted  hare,  as  described  by  Shakspeare : 

Then  shall  thou  see  the  dew-bedabbled  wretch 

Turn  and  return,  indenting  with  the  way  : 
Each  envious  briar  his  weary  legs  doth  scratch. 

Each  shadow  makes  him  stop,  each  murmui  stay. 
For  misery  is  trodden  on  by  many; 
And  being  low,  never  relieved  by  any. 

Although  but  accidentally  the  agent  of  his  ornther's  death,  the  acute 
pangs  of  self-reproach  were  not  spared  to  him,  as  his  conscience  suo-gested 
that  a  deviation  from  his  own  creed,  relative  to  spilling  even  the  blood  of 
brutes,  had  entailed  on  him  ^  signal  a  judgment.  Thus  he  considered 
himself,  at  least  indirectly,  a  murderer,  equally  frowned  upon  by  earth  and 
heaven  ;  and,  under  the  influence  of  this  harrowing  reflection,  by  which  his 
reason  was  almost  unsettled,  he  felt,  thought,  and  acted,  accordinir  fo  the 
impulses  of  the  mere  assassin.  Indeed,  upon  no  other  principle  would  it  be 
possible  to  account  for  a  course  of  proceeding  so  like  that  of  conscious  guilt. 


106  TVLNEY    HALL. 

The  myrmidons  of  tlie  law,  moreover,  according  to  the  Justice's  resohi- 
fion,  had  been  desp.itcliod  in  all  directions  in  pursuit  of  the  piejud^'cd 
criminal,  extendini^  and  coniirniing  the  popular  prejudice  wherever  they 
went,  so  that  if  the  unhappy  fugitive  ventured  amouiist  men,  he  must  have 
heard  every  voice  raised  a2,ainst  him  in  execration,  coupled  with  hopes  of 
his  speedy  apprehension,  —  many  a  wish  for  his  execution,  and  even  some 
hardy  anticipations  of  his  last  dying  speech  and  confession. 

Such  was  the  state  of  popular  feeling,  when  a  jury  was  summoned  to 
pronounce  on  the  manner  in  wliich  Ringwood  Tyrrel  had  come  by  his  death  ^ 
It  may  very  easily  be  supposed,  that  the  verdict  tlie  public  opinion  fore- 
stalled, was  an  unfavourable  one;  what  chance  there  was  to  the  co.Arary, 
may  be  inferred  from  part  of  a  conversation  that  took  place  between  two 
pedestrians,  as  they  walked  side  by  side  along  the  road  from  Hollington 
towards  the  Hall.  One  of  the  parties  will  be  recognized  as  a  personage 
already  introduced  to  the  reader,  the  other  was  a  gentlemanly,  middle-aged 
person,  of  the  military  profession,  to  judge  from  his  mustachios,  black  stock, 
and  blue  surtout  of  a  soldierly  cut :  moreover  his  countenance  appeared 
toil-worn  and  weather-beaten,  and  deeply  embrowned  by  hard  service  in 
foreign  climates. 

"  I  wonder  where  he  will  be  hung,"  said  the  former,  "  on  the  old  gallows 
at  Midgeley  Common,  or  at  the  place  where  the  deed  was  done  on  ?" 

"He  is  not  caught  yet,"  remarked  the  latter,  "much  less  condemned 
even  by  a  coroner's  jurj'." 

"No,  but  Gregory  's  at  his  heels,"  answered  the  other,  "  with  the  posse 
commitus,  as  the  saying  is.  He  may  cheat  the  marble,  but  he  won't  cheat 
the  wood.  As  for  the  inquest,  it  will  be  wilful  murder,  and  nothing  else, 
take  my  word  for  it ;  that 's  a  slab,  as  I  say  when  a  thing  is  downright  flat 
and  fixed  upon." 

"  I  hope  it  may  be,"  said  the  soldier,  "  for  I  hate  killing  in  cold  blood. 
But  how  are  you  so  sure,  friend?" 

"  Sure,  say  you  !"  exclaimed  Master  Tablet,  for  it  was  no  other  than  that 
worthy  master  mason,  "I  should  n't  mind  cutting  it  in,  every  letter  on  it. 
To  one  as  looks  such  a  gentleman  I  do  n't  mind  blabbing  a  bit ;  but,  sir, 
you  must  be  as  mum  as  a  death's  head." 

"  I  am  used  to  secrets,"  said  the  stranger,  with  a  subdued  smile. 

"  Why,  then,  sir,"  proceeded  Tablet,  "  Master  Gregory,  our  head  con- 
stable, sir,  do  n't  like  trouble,  and  always  saves  as  much  on  it  as  he  can  ; 
so  he  just  looks  in  at  the  Rabbits  last  night,  and  serves  summonses  on  the 
whist  club,  nine  on  us  at  a  haul,  and  as  we  couldn't  get  up  no  rubber,  a 
foreman  was  chose,  and  we  went  through  the  business  preliminary.  Every 
man  was  unanimous,  sir,  and  that's  how  I  know  the  verdict  aforehand." 

"  And  a  very  proper  decision,"  said  the  stranger  ;  "  indeed  no  other  could 
be  honestly  formed.  But  the  number,  friend,  at  your  rehearsal,  was  short 
of  the  legal  complement." 

"  Oh  never  fear,  sir,"  answered  the  mason  ;  "  I  can  turn  Trott  and 
Jenkins  round  my  finger,  and  as  for  Bundy " 

"  How  !   is  he  on  it?"  exclaimed  the  stranger,  with  a  tone  of  sm-prise. 

"  To  be  sure  he  is,"  said  Tablet,  "  as  any  one  else  might  have  been,  by 
standing  tip.  He  got  Greggy  to  summon  him  on  purpose,  and  I  warrant 
you,  if  we  give  a  certain  person  to  Jack  Ketch,  he  won't  be  long  giving  him 
to  Satan,  for  he  's  a  deal  more  fond  of  sending  folks  to  Hell  than  to  Heaven." 

"  If  there  be  one  place  or  the  other,"  said  the  stranger,  as  if  speaking  to 
himself.     "  And  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  friend,  how  does  he  bear  this  calamity?" 

"  As  I  could  bear  a  ton  of  Scotch  granite,"  said  the  mason  ;  "  has  never 
held  up  since.  David  and  Absalom,  sir,  David  and  Absalom.  They  say 
he  do  n't  neither  eat,  drink,  nor  sleep,  and  walks  up  and  down  his  room 
day  and  night.    But  it's  walking  on  liis  last  leojs  ;  he's  a  dead  man,  sir^ 


TYLNEY    HALL.  197 

I'm  as  sure  on  it  as  if  I  saw  his  name  up  between  two  flying  nobodys,  as  the 
ignoramuses  call  my  cherubims." 

"And  the  estates?"  asked  the  inquisitive  stranger,  "what  will  become 
of  them  ?" 

"  They  will  go  to  the  nevy,  or  rather  the  nevy  will  come  to  them,"  an- 
swered Tablet,  with  a  smile  at  his  own  •wit.  "I  was  at  the  Rabbits  the 
ni^ht  he  come  from  abroad,  with  his  father  that 's  dead  ;  poor  gentleman,  it 
was  touch  and  j^o  with  him  ;  no  sooner  on  English  ground,  than  under  it. 
I  resuriram'd  him  myself.  Did  you  know  him,  sir?"  continued  the  mason, 
observing  some  si^ns  of  agitation  in  his  companion. 

"  Colonel  Tyrrel  was  my  old  companion  abroad,"  answered  the  other, 
instantly  mastering  his  emotion,  "  and  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  what  cha- 
racter IS  borne  by  his  son." 

"  More  liked  than  loved,"  said  the  mason  with  a  significant  nod.  "  The 
devil's  own  temper,  Flanway  says,  when  he  was  a  younker ;  and  no  won- 
der. Folks  do  say  his  mother  gave  the  father  his  memento  mori,  and  Mrs. 
Hanway  saw  the  scar  in  his  side  when  he  was  laid  out." 

"  Aye,  there  is  never  a  lie  hatched,  but  some  breapt  will  be  found  to  brood 
it,"  answered  the  stranger  sharply  ;  "  and  Mrs.  Hanway  seems  one  of 
those  motherly  hens." 

"  To  be  sure,  folks  will  detract,"  said  the  mason.  "  I  remember  when  I 
put  up  Bedlamite's  obelisk  —  but  we  '11  let  that  rest  in  peace.  It's  a  com- 
fort there  is  an  heir  to  the  Hall  of  the  name  of  Tyrrel,  to  prevent  every 
thing  going  out  of  the  family,  like  sic  transit. 

"  it  is  a  comfort,"  said  the  stranger,  "  and  I  hope  it  will  be  appreciated." 

"That's  what  I  think  myself,'*  said  the  mason,  eagerly  ;  "  instead  of  it's 
going  to  them  Twiggs,  though  I  say  it  as  should  n't  say  it,  for  they  give  me 
the  order  for  tiie  two  stone  bee-hives,  instead  of  the  old  eagles.  But  there  's 
no  real  gentility  about  'em  ;  they  boggle  with  a  sculptor  about  a  marble 
chimbley-piece,  as  if  he  was  only  a  dealer  in  Flanders  bricks.  To  nly  mind 
that  ain't  aristocracy.  I  'm  told  Mr.  Twigg  never  crossed  a  horse,  and  then 
what  would  become  of  our  hunt  ?  I've  erected  as  good  requiescats  over 
horses  as  Christians  ;  and  if  Mr.  Walter  did  come  a  little  of  the  wrong  side 
of  t!ie  blanket,  as  folks  say,  he  's  likely  to  be  on  the  right  side  of  the  sheet, 
when  it  comes  to  debtor  and  creditor." 

"  You  do  honour  to  your  profession,"  said  the  stranger,  suddenly  halting 
and  extending  his  hand  to  the  mason,  who  gripped  it  as  if  he  had  been  a 
freemason.  "It  is  too  commonly  supposed,  that  your  province  is  only  to 
exalt  the  virtues  of  the  dead,  but  I  find  I  have  met  with  a  man  of  more 
liberal  views,  who  also  does  justice  to  the  character  of  the  living.  Thf^^on 
of  CoIouhI  Tyrrel  could  not  be  otherwise  than  generous.  When  a  Twi^g 
di^-s,  a  diminutive  tablet  will  express  economy,  the  greatest  and  the  smallest 
of  his  attributes;  but  at  the  departure  of  Walter  Tyrrel,  you  will  have  to 
sculpture  the  cardinal  virtues  as  large  as  life,  and  every  good  quality  for 
which  you  can  find  a  symbol." 

"That's  my  own  idea,"  said  the  sculptor  ;  "if  it  ever  pleased  God  to 
nive  me  such  an  order.  I  'd  put  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity  at  top,  and  the 
Rose,  Thistle,  and  Shamrock  at  the  bottom ;  that 's  what  I  call  allegory. 
To  my  mind,  allegory  is  putting  one  thing  to  stand  for  another  that  is^'t  it 
—  like  a  member  standing  for  a  county.  Talking  of  elections,  the  last  con- 
test killed  Sir  Theophilus  Bowles :  the  crying  Cupid  I  put  on  his  monu- 
ment, used  always  to  be  called  my  plumper." 

"  There  is  another  election  to-day,  between  guilt  and  innocence,"  said  the 
stranger,  "  and  I  hope  the  cause  of  public  justice  will  triumph.  ^>iiouId 
it  be  in  peril,  friend,  I  can  help  you  to  a  secret,  in  return  for  your  own^ 
that  will  do  no  discredit  to  your  sagacity.  But  remember  wo  are  upon 
honour.' 


198  TYLNET   HALL. 

"As  true  as  headstone  or  footstone,"  answered  the  mason,  "  and  as  I 
hope  to  be  saved  by  I.  H.  S." 

"  If  it  be  asked,  then,"  said  the  stranger,  "  what  motive  beyond  interest 
could  induce  one  brother  to  make  away  with  the  other,  answer,  without  he- 
sitation, Miss  Rivers — call  her  own  father  in  proof  of  it." 

"Is  it  possible!"  exclaimeil  the  mason,  lifting  up  his  hands  and  eyes  like 
one  of  his  own  stone  effigies.  "  It  was  always  whispered,  that  the  young 
Squire  and  Miss  Twigg  had  a  leaning  to  each  other,  like  two  palm  branches 
over  an  urn." 

"  That  is  very  possible,"  rejoined  the  stranger,  "  but  young  heads  and  old 
neads  form  opposite  plans.  The  Baronet  and  the  Justice  had  made  a  match 
between  the  heir  and  the  heiress,  but  the  younger  brother  had  one  eye  on 
the  lady,  and  the  other  on  the  estates,  and  truly  these  noble  chestnuts,  and 
that  park  and  the  Hall  yonder,  are  worth  wishing  for,  without  Hawksley 
to  boot.     Wliat  a  rabble  there  is  about  the  gates  !" 

"  It's  to  hear  our  verdict,"  said  the  mason  pompously.  "  Yonder  is  Bun 
dy  talking  and  swinging  his  arms  ;  and  look  at  his  coat  pocket !  as  many 
as  there  are  on  'em,  the  mob  won't  go  without  a  track  apiece." 

"  Then  I  shall  sit  down  in  the  shade  of  these  trees,"  said  the  stranger; 
"  I  may  never  be  in  this  part  of  the  country  again,  and  I  should  like  to 
know  the  result." 

"I  wish  your  honour  good  morning,"  said  Tablet,  hastily  ;  "  there's  the 
Justice's  carriage  at  the  door,  and  his  worship  do  n't  like  waiting." 

And  away  the  mason  bustled,  and  was  soon  seen  elbowing  a  passage 
through  the  crowd  at  the  entrance. 

"  What  a  world  of  fools  we  live  in,"  said  the  stranger,  with  a  contemptu- 
ous curl  of  the  lip  as  the  juryman  disappeared  ;  "and  yet  the  arrantest  of 
them  may  be  a  judge  of  life  and  death  ;  for  one  that  tampers  with  blood 
illegally  there  are  a  dozen  to  spill  it  by  form  of  law.  There  would  be  com- 
fort in  that  for  the  scrupulous  ;  but  conscience  is  like  the  musquito,  it  ceases 
to  sting  when  you  have  had  a  seasoning.  Ringwood  is  dead,  and  Raby 
has  turned  Maroon ;  the  wind  blows  fair  for  Walter  Tyrrel,  and  any  other 
of  the  name  may  walk  the  plank." 

So  saying.  Marguerite,  for  it  was  her  in  disguise,  settled  herself  in  a  re- 
clining attitude  against  the  tree,  and  with  considerable  composure  awaited 
the  drawing  of  this  part  of  the  scheme  in  the  lottery  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Is  our  whole  dissembly  appeared.  Dogberry. 

"  Murder,  gentlemen,  13  where  a  man  is  murderously  killed.  The  killer  in  such  a 
case  is  a  murderer.  Now,  murder  by  poison  is  as  much  murder  as  murder  with  a 
sword  or  a  gun  :  it  is  the  murdering  that  constitutes  murder  in  the  eye  of  the  law.  You 
will  bear  in'mind  that  murder  is  one  thing  and  manslaughter  is  another  :  therefore  if  it 
is  not  maucilaughter  it  must  be  murder  ;  and  if  it  is  not  murder  it  must  be  manslaughter. 
Self-murder  has  nothing  to  do  with  this  case,  one  man  cannot  commit  felo  de  se  on  ann. 
ther,  that  is  clearly  my  view.  Gentlemen,  I  think  you  can  have  no  difficulty  :  murder, 
I  say,  is  murder.  The  murder  of  a  brother  is  called  fratricide  ;  but  it  is  not  fratricide 
if  a  man  murders  his  mother.  You  will  make  up  your  minds.  You  know  what  mur 
dor  is,  and  I  need  not  tell  you  what  it  is  not.  I  repeat,  murder  is  murder,  you  can  retire 
upon  it  if  you  like.'' 

From  the  Sterling  Chronicle. 

The  coroner's  inquest,  involving  an  inquiry  into  the  cause  of  any  sudden 
termination  of  human  hfe,  is  justly  considered  as  one  of  our  most  impor 
tant  and  valuable  institutions,  and  accordingly  its  functions  are  commonly 


TYI.NEY    HALL.  199 

oeU^ked  10  the  most  obtuse  and  ignorant  members  of  the  community. 
The  lish  and  the  intelligent  have  induence  or  tact  enough  to  elude  its  du- 
ties, so  ihat  the  inquisition  generally  devolves  on  some  dozen  of  logger- 
headed  iiidividuals,  who  serve  habitually  as  jurymen  for  the  parish  in  which 
they  may  happen  to  reside.  They  follow  as  implicitly  as  a  flock  of  sheep 
the  lead  of  their  foreman,  whose  opinion  f^oes  in  the  wake  of  the  coroner's, 
like  a  boat  in  tow  of  a  ship.  ^  The  latter  personage  himself  is  sometimes 
little  better  than  a  Dogberry,  furnished  with  a  few  technical  terms  and  legal 
distinctions  which  enable  him  to  direct  the  Random  Records  of  Visitations 
of  God,  Found  Drowned,  Wilful  Murder,  and  Felo  de  se.  Whether  the 
official  functionary  of*****  belonged  to  this  class  will  be  seen  by  the 
evidence. 

The  preparations  for  the  inquest  had  been  made  in  the  library,  a  room  of 
ample  dimensions,  and  able  to  accommodate  a  much  greater  number  of  per- 
sons than  it  contained.  A  vacant  library  chair  awaited  the  occupation  of 
the  coroner;  at  the  head  of  a  long  table,.on  its  right,  sat  Mr.  Richard  Tab- 
let, the  foreman,  and  on  either  side  the  rest  of  the  jurors,  comprising 
Messrs.  Hands,  Benaon,  and  Walden,  and  five  other  members  of  the  whist 
club,  with  serious  countenances,  all  decidedly  conscious  of  the  temporary 
importance  with  which  their  office  invested  them,  and  as  resolutely  silent  as 
if  they  had  for  once  been  engaged  in  a  rubber  at  longs.  The  lowest  on  the 
ieft,  but  a  head  taller  than  any  of  the  others  in  stature,  the  Ranter,  rolled 
about  in  his  chair,  his  shaggy  eyebrows  working  restlessly  up  and  down, 
with  the  more  activity,  apparently,  because  his  tongue  was  under  restraint, 
and  his  hand  groped  impatiently,  from  time  to  time,  in  the  pocket  of  his 
coat. 

The  arm-chair  at  the  bottom  of  the  table  was  reserved  for  the  coroner's 
clerk. 

As  far  aloof  as  the  diameter  of  the  room  permitted,  Mr.  Justice  Rivers 
had  chosen  his  place,  as  motionless,  and  passionless,  and  as  inexorable  as 
Radamanthus  himself — the  final  judge  of  eternal  bale  or  bliss.  Parallel 
with  the  magistrate  sate  Doctor  Bellamy,  bowing  to  any  one  whose  eye  he 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  catch  ;  whilst  St.  Kitts  occupied  a  recess,  and,  with 
his  arms  folded,  and  his  back  half  turned  towards  the  company,  gazed  in- 
tently through  a  window  which  looked  towards  the  avenue.  Old  Mat,  the 
gamekeeper,  with  his  assistants,  formed  a  group  apart,  one  of  the  latter 
holding  the  fatal  double-barrelled  gun,  and  the  other  male  domestics  of  the 
Hall,  and  a  few  of  the  tenantry  they  had  admitted  by  favour,  completed 
the  presence. 

There  was  no  conversation,  unless  a  brief  occasional  whisper  might  be 
called  so ;  and  this  prevailing  silence  in  the  chamber  made  a  sound,  that 
proceeded  from  the  story  above,  the  more  remarkable.  It  was  the  inces- 
sant tread  of  a  heavy  foot,  not  monotonously,  but  sometimes  slow,  some- 
times quick ;  occasionally  it  stopped,  but  soon  resumed  its  course  to  and 
fro,  and  generally  with  an  emphatic  stamp.  It  v/as  universally  understood 
that  this  sound  was  attributable  to  the  distempered  pacing  of  Sir  Mark  up 
and  down  his  apartment ;  and  no  effort  of  human  eloquence  could  have 
had  so  forcible  an  effect  upon  the  listeners,  as  the  unceasing  tramp  —  tramp 
—  tramp,  overhead.  It  painted  more  terribly  than  any  combination  of  words 
could  have  done,  the  state  of  the  sufferer's  mind.  The  modern  tread-mill 
seems  a  physical  type  of  that  condition  of  mental  torture,  where  the  com- 
pelled tnought  strives  vainly  to  overcome  one  perpetually  revolving  misery, 
without  respite,  and  without  progress. 

"  Dreadful,  ain't  it?"  remarked  Mr.  Walden,  in  a  whisper,  to  his  neighr 
hour,  who  only  replied  by  an  assenting  nod. 

''I  wish  Stubbs  would  come!"  said  Mr.  Hands,  under  his  breath,  to 
Mr.  Benson,  who,  in  answer,  pulled  out  his  old-fashioned  watcli- 


200  TYLNEY    HALL. 

The  huntsman  looked  towards  t!ie  ceiling,  and  made  a  gesture,  which  old 
Mat  acknowledged  by  a  shake  of  his  gray  head  ;  the  under-keepcrs,  de- 
jected and  downcast,  seemed  transformed  into  convicted  poachers,  and 
some  one  drew  a  long,  heavy,  audible  sigh,  that  interpreted  the  general 
feeling. 

At  this  moment  the  melancholy  sound  of  the  foot-fall  was  lost  in  the  noise 
of  a  sculHc,  and  the  clamour  of  several  tongues,  above  which  the  stentorian 
voice  of  Master  Heath,  or,  as  he  was  comnwnly  called,  Bully  Heath,  the 
principal  butcher  of  the  village,  was  distinctly  recognised. 

"  I  've  as  good  a  right,"  he  shouted,  "  as  Dick  Tablet,  or  any  of  the  pack. 
I'm  as  raarciful  as  any  on 'em  —  and  I'll  stick  my  knife  in  his  tripes  as 
says  otherwise !" 

"  You're  no  such  thing,"  answered  a  voice,  equally  familiar.  "  You're 
cruel  by  law,  and  so  is  surgeons." 

Here  the  tumult  increased,  gradually  progressing  up  stairs  to  the  door  of 
the  library,  where,  at  length,  the  bull-head  of  the  butcher  announced  him, 
and  then  his  sky-blue  body  was  seen  vehemently  struggling  for  entrance, 
with  the  arms  of  Gregory  the  constable  clinging  round  his  waist.  By  help 
of  a  clutch  of  the  door-post  on  either  side,  the  brawny  bully  contrived  to 
haul  his  carcass  within  the  room,  still  bellowing  like  a  bull  in  favour  of  his 
humanity,  and  promising  all  the  cuts  and  thrusts  of  the  slaughter-house  to 
those  who  impugned  it.  In  this  hopeless  case,  Gregory  left  his  hold,  and 
began  to  rub  his  shins,  which  had  suffered  severely  from  the  kicking  of  the 
iron-shod  high-lows  of  his  antagonist. 

"If  it  please  your  worship,"  said  the  constafcle,  appealing  to  the  Justice, 
"  he  wants  to  sit  on  the  dead  body,  though  he^s  a  carcass-butcher  by  trade, 
and  cannot  sit  upon  any  thing.  That's  crowner's  quest  law,  all  the  world 
over." 

At  the  words  "your  worship,"  Bully  Heath  glanced  towards  the  person- 
age addressed,  and  in  an  instant  he  looked  as  sheepish  as  one  of  his  own 
lanibs.  "  An't  please  your  worship,"  he  cried,  "  I  only  said  I'd  as  much 
marcy  as  any  on  'em ;  and  so  I  have.  If  I  was  for  to  be  cut  up  to-morrow, 
my  heart  would  be  found  in  the  right  place  —  but  it  shall  be  just  as  your 
worship  pleases." 

A  significant  point  of  the  finger  was  the  only  answer  from  the  magis- 
trate. Custom,  it  is  said,  reconciles  us  to  all  things,  and  Master  Heath 
enjoyed  the  custom  of  Hawksley  ;  he  accordingly  departed  without  a  bleat, 
and,  as  he  quietly  made  his  exit,  another  personage  entered,  so  like  the 
bully  in  face  and  person,  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  butcher  in  blue  had  only 
been  exchanged  for  a  butcher  in  black.  The  face  of  the  new  comer  was 
quite  as  red  and  jovial  as  the  bully's,  his  forehead  as  round  and  shining,  his 
eyes  as  piggishly  small,  his  nose  as  snubbish  and  clubbish,  his  mouth  as 
like  a  slash  in  a  beef-steak,  with  a  chin  as  if  he  had  played  for  it,  and  got  a 
double.  His  body  was  equally  burly  with  his  prototype's,  and  his  well- 
fatted  calf  was  cased,  like  the  other's,  in  a  glossy  top-boot  that  aimed  at 
taking  the  shine  out  of  every  thing. 

Such  was  the  coroner  for shire,  and  attorney  withal,  for  he  was 

placed  on  the  rolls  before  the  present  high  duty  on  indentures,  which  makes 
it  a  matter  of  more  difficulty  for  an  errand-boy  to  succeed  his  employer,  and 
stand  in  the  shoes  he  formerly  blacked.  His  promotion,  however  obtained, 
had  been  far  from  slow,  and  the  rapidity  of  his  rise  seemed  to  have  influ- 
enced his  character.  He  bounced  into  the  room,  bobbed  a  hurried  bow  at 
the  Justice,  threw  himself  into  the  appointed  chair,  and  began  dabbling 
the  bill  of  a  pen  in  the  inkstand,  with  the  eagerness  of  a  duck's  in  a  gutter. 
Whatever  portion  of  time  may  be  a  jifly,  in  half  its  usual  space  he  had  rub- 
bed his  bald  head,  blown  his  nose,  and  put  on  his  spectacles,  and  then,  at 
iais  best  pace,  began  on  a  dozen  topics  at  once,  as  if  talking,  not  walking. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  201 

a  match  aeainst  the  celebrated  Mr.  Gurney.  As  far  as  the  shortest  of 
short-hand  could  collect,  it  ran  {hus:  — 

"Strange  weather^  gentlenvn, — devilish  dirty  though?  Dick,  count 
the  jury.  "Famous  year  for  birds,  they  say,  —  shot  seventeen  brace  myself. 
Foreman — eh, —  Alaster  Tablet?  Sharp  work,  your  worship,  for  one 
day  ;  two  visitations,  a  found  drowned,  and  an  accidental ;  —  posting's  un- 
conscionably hiiih,  —  Mr.  Justice,  you'll  be  at  the  Blue  dinner?" 

''I  rather  think  not,"  said  the  Justice,  in  a  dry  tone. 

"  Sorry  for  it,"  resumed  the  inquisitor.  "  Capital  dinners  at  the  Eagle  — 
very  good  house  —  wines  excellent,  —  gentlemen,  I  needn't  lay  down  — 
we've  met  before.  Mr.  Bundy,  have  patience  —  slow  and  sure.  A  very 
well  proportioned  room  indeed,  —  very.  Poor  Sir  Mark!  —  witnesses  all 
in  attendance,  Dick?  (tlie  clerk  nodded.)  It's  a  melancholy  event, — 
hadn't  we  better  open  a  window  !  Such  a  promising  young  man! — If 
you  please  we'll  view  —  where 's  the  body?  —  Gregory,  show  the  way  —  '* 
and  jumping  up  from  his  chair,  as  if  to  pick  up  a  child,  or  save  the  post,  or 
catch  a  wasp,  the  coroner  scuttled  along  the  room,  and  trundled  down  stairs 
with  his  twelve  satellites  in  his  train.  The  domestics  and  the  tenantry, 
with  the  common  wish  of  seeing  and  hearing  all  they  could,  joined  the  pro- 
cession, and  the  Justice  and  the  Creole  Avere  left  to  themselves. 

Guided  by  the  obsequious  Gregory,  the  coroner  and  jury  soon  found 
themselves  in  the  drawing-room,  where  the  dead  body,  supported  on  tres- 
sels,  awaited  their  inspection.  As  they  eagerly  approached  the  temporary 
bier.  Squire  Ned,  who  had  constituted  himself  custos  of  the  corpse,  rose 
up,  and  retired  into  the  adjoining  room,  as  if  his  feelings  shunned  the  con- 
tact of  that  vulvar  curiosity,  which  too  obviously  attracted  the  jury  towards 
the  blood-stained  remains  of  Ringwood  Tyrrel.  The  coroner,  to  whom 
such  sights  were  familiar,  after  a  momentary  glance,  turned  away  to  a  win- 
dow, and  found  his  view  in  a  prospect  of  the  park.  In  the  depraved  lan- 
guage of  a  depraved  appetite,  he  had  seen  spectacles  more  worth  look- 
ing at. 

"  Hie  jacet,"  said  the  foreman  solemnly,  "  what  a  melancholy  memento  of 
mortality  ;  he  must  measure  six  feet." 

"  Ay,  more  nor  that,"  said  Mr.  Benson,  scanning  the  length  wnth  the 
critical  eye  of  a  carpenter,  and  in  a  moment  his  pocket-rule  was  travelling 
along  the  body,  and  the  product  was  an  inch  and  a  half  above  the  two 
yards. 

"  What  matters  feet  and  inches  of  flesh,"  exclaimed  the  loud,  harsh 
voice  of  the-Ranter,  "all  clay  —  potter's  clay  —  pipe  clay  —  and  clay  as 
makes  bricks.  —  I  '11  measure  his  soul  for  you,  length  and  breadth  —  what's 
his  body  —  all  flesh  is  nothing  but  grass,  and  here  is  his'n,  cut  down,  and 
fit  te  carrv.  But  where 's  his  sou'  ?  his  immortal  soul,  is  it  gone  to  glory? 
or  soused  head-foremost  into  burning  brimstone?  —  O,  my  brethren,  think 
in  time  of  hell,  —  none  of. your  November  bonfires,  but  flames  everlasting, 
without  end  —  where  the  more  you  are  broiled,  the  more  you  ain't  done." 

Here  he  was  stopped  by  the  coroner,  with  his  usual  hurry. 

"Amen  —  amen,  —  better  another  time.  Well,  gentlemen  —  what  a 
beautiful  room  this  is  !  A  very  fine  corpse,  eh  I  —  poor  young  man  —  wn« 
carries  snufi'?     Dr.  Bellamy,  you've  examined  the  body  ?" 

"  I  have  had  that  pleas<i"re,"  re[)lird  Old  Formality,  with  an  instinctnra 
bow  to  the  corpse,  which,  during  its  life,  had  once  done  him  the  honour  to 
become  his  patient. 

"  Then,  gentlemen,"  said  the  coroner,  "  all  we  have  to  do — " 

"  Not  till  I  have  lifted  up  ray  voice,"  said  the  Ranter,  "  twenty  coroners 

shan't  prevent  a  word  in  season  ;  no,  nor  twenty  fiery  dragons,  —  wha*  s 

the  use  of  death,  if  it  ain't  to  be  improved  on  ?     And  him  as  lies  here  was  a 

scoffer  and  scorncr,  —  yes,  many 's  tlie  time  he  has  mocked  at  me,  ana 

7—8 


202  TYLNEY   HALL. 

threatened  to  set  his  heathenish  hounds  at  my  heels,  hut  where  is  he  now 
himseh' — why,  hunted  by  a  tantivy  of  devils." 

A  general  cry  of  "shame,  shame,"  arose  from  the  auditors  at  this  brutal 
sentence,  whilst  Dick,  the  huntsman,  walked  up  to  the  Ranter,  and  threat- 
ened him,  with  a  bitter  smile. 

"  My  best  thanks.  Master  Bundy,  for  putting  me  up  to  what  young 
master  would  have  done  ;  his  wish  was  as  good  as  a  bidding  at  any  time, 
and  if  you  show  yourself  again  at  the  meet  1  '11  laj  'em  on." 

"  And  for  my  part,"  said  old  Mat,  "  as  soon  as  the  quest 's  over, —  I  can't 
preachify,  but  I  can  light  a  bit,  and  never  did  long  so  to  crack  a  jaw-bone 
as  yours.  Shame  on  ye  —  did  you  ever  see  a  soul  go  where  you  say,  with 
a  smiling  face  like  that?"  and  he  pointed  to  the  placid  features  of  the  corpse. 
"The-man  that  hits  another  when  he's  down,  ar'  n't  half  a  man  ;  but  the 
man  as  belies  the  dead,  as  can't  answer  him,  he  ar'  n't  half  a  quarter  o'  one ;" 
and  with  an  indignant  swing,  he  turned  his  broad  back  on  the  slanderer. 

A  general  murmur  of  approbation,  assented  to  the  gamekeeper's  homely 
sentiment,  while  his  example  was  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  dependants, 
and  not  a  few  of  the  tenants,  so  that,  in  a  moment,  the  Ranter  found  himself 
in  an  enviable  situation  for  a  man  of  pugnacious  disposition,  with  a  score 
of  challenges  to  select  from,  and  boxing,  wrestling,  or  cudgelling,  at  his 
option.  But  he  was  not  a  man  of  weak  nerves  :  to  the  unblushing  effron- 
tery of  his  class  he  united  physical  courage  and  hardihood,  and  alike  re- 
gardless of  time,  place,  and  person,  he  stood  as  unmoved  by  the  dozen 
fists  that  were  shaken  in  his  face,  as  unabashed  by  the  general  expression 
of  disgust.  He  lifted  up  his  own  huge  arms  in  the  position  of  a  letter  Y, 
as  if  to  exhibit  his  muscular  proportions,  and  was  beginning  with  "  Bellow 
away,  you  bulls  of  Bashan,  —  long  horns,  and  shorthorns,"  when  tho  coro- 
ner interfered. 

"Come,  come,  Mr.  Bundy,  time's  precious." 

"  And  so's  eternity,"  shouted  the  Ranter,  while  a  foam  gathered  on  his 
lips,  and  showed  that  his  zeal  was  beginning  to  work  and  froth  like  new 
beer. 

*'I  say  I've  to  sit  on  more  bodies,  and  I  can't  trifle,"  said  the  coroner, 
raismg  his  voice. 

"And  I  says  eternity  first,"  said  the  pertinacious  Ranter,  "what's  sit- 
tmg  on  bodies  to  sitting  on  souls  ?  what  can  you  say  to  that  ?" 

"  That  souls  will  keep,  and  the  bodies  won't,"  answered  the  coroner. 
"Gentlemen,  you  've  all  viewed  ?  — seen  all  you  can  see —  follow  me — " 
and,  like  an  old  Young  Rapid  he  trotted  off,  followed  by  his  company,  the 
Ranter  contriving  to  be  the  last  that  left  the  room. 

The  magistrate,  who  had  been  left  with  the  Creole  in  the  interim,  had 
availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  address  certain  inquiries  to  his  com- 
panion. 

"  At  the  return  of  these  wiseacres,"  he  said,  "  you  will  be  troubled,  sir, 
with  a  hundred  questions,  as  much  tending  to  the  purpose  as  to  the  disco- 
very of  the  longitude.  AUow  me,  therefore,  in  the  mean  time,  to  put  a  few  of 
iny  own,  for  the  sake  of  public  justice  as  well  as  my  personal  satisfaction." 

Tne  Creole  bowed,  and  the  justice  proceeded. 

"Allow  me  to  ask  then,  sir,  upon  what  terms  were  the  two  brothers  at 
the  time  of  the  catastrophe  ?" 

"  i  believe,  sir,"  answered  the  Creole,  with  some  hesitation,  "  they  were 
upon  tne  usual  terms." 

**  The  nature  of  which,"  said  the  magistrate,  "  was  no  secret  to  any 
person  of  common  penetration.  Of  widely  dissimilar  habits,  and,  conse- 
quently, of  opposite  feelings  and  sentiments,  they  must  have  been  subject 
to  freauent  disagreements,  if  not  occasional  rancour  and  enmity.  May  I 
asK,  sir,  the  date  of  their  last  quarrel  ?" 


TYLNET?    HAT.L.  SOS 

*' There  was  some  difTbreiice,"  answered  St.  Kitts,  "or  rather  a  men? 
momentary  heat,  springing  out  of  a  most  trivial  cause  that  occurred,  if  I 
recollect  rightly,  on  the  ver^  morning  of  that  day  which  %ve  have  so  much 
reason  to  deplore,'"' 

"  So,  sir,"  remarked  the  Justice,  his  voice  gradually  assuming  its  severity 
"there  was  ill-blood  in  the  case  ;  and  Raby,  whose  ignorance  and  dislike 
of  the  sports  of  the  field  were  sufficiently  notorious,  who  was  never  known 
before  to  fire  a  gun,  or  to  desire  to  fire  one,  —  who  professed,  I  must  say 
hypocritically,  a  repugnance  to  kill  even  a  partridge  —  can  you  possibly 
assicrn,  sir,  any  motive  for  his  sudden  assumption  of  the  character  of  a 
sportsman  ?" 

"None  whatever,  sir,"  answered  the  Creole;  *' but  it  is  difficult  to 
scrutinize  human  motives.     We  all  have  our  moments  of  eccentricity." 

"  And  some  of  us  our  moments  of  malignity,"  said  the  Justice,  as  if  in- 
vested with  his  imaginary  black  cap.     *' It  is  then  your  opinion,  sir,  that  to 

the  violent  quarrel  that  took  place  on  the  morning  of  the  mur ■" 

The  magistrate  was  about  to  add  another  syllable  sufficiently  indicative 
of  a  foregone  conclusion,  when  the  door  opened,  and  the  coroner  led  in  his 
squad  of\nquisitors,  talking  all  the  way  to  save  time. 

*'  Well,  gentlemen,  you  've  seen  the  body, —  warm  weather,  Mr.  Justice, 
won't  keep  long,  —  Mr.  Bundy,  do  n't  talk,  —  what's  the  time,  Dick  ?  —  I 
forgot  last  night  to  wind  up,  —  very  simple  case,  gentleman  ;  lies  in  small 
compass,  —  where  's  the  witness  ?  —  Dick,  swear  in  Mr.  Walter  Tyrrel.'* 
The  Creole  took  the  book  from  the  clerk  with  some  emotion,  and  repeated 
an  assenting  "  So  help  me  God."  He  then  proceeded  to  relate  the  occur- 
rences of  the  evening  up  to  the  fatal  discharge  into  tlie  moving  fern,  sup- 
pressing only  the  verbal  directions  which  he  had  himself  given  for  the  aim 
of  the  weapon. 

"That  will  do,  sir,"  said  the  coroner;  and  he  was  adjusting  himself  to 
address  the  jury,  when,  after  a  suppressed  remonstrance  from  the  foreman, 
Mr.  Jenkins,  more  untractable  than  Tablet  had  anticipated,  persisted  in 
putting  a  few  questions  to  the  witness. 

"By  your  favour,  Mr.  Walter  Tyrrel,"  was  his  first  interrogation,  "and 
I  should  wish  you  particularly  to  call  to  mind  the  circumstance,  and  to  take 
time  to  consider  before  answering.  Did  he  jump  up  a  yard  high,  as  they  say 
people  do  when  they  are  shot?" 

**I  saw  nothing  of  the  kind,"  answered  the  Creole. 

"  That  is  very  odd,"  remarked  the  pompous  Mr.  Jenkins.  "  Perhaps 
you  will  be  as  good  as  inform,  sir,  where  he  put  his  hand  first  —  his  side, 
or  his  head,  or  his  back  ?  Some  say  feeling  is  in  tlie  spinal  marrow,  and 
some  say  in  the  heart,  and  others  say  in  the  brain." 

*'  My  observation  was  not  so  particular,  sir,"  said  the  Creole,  with  a  look 
of  annoyance. 

"One  more  question,  sir,"  said  the  persevering  Mr.  Jenkins,  "  and  I 
have  done.     Perhaps  you  could  name  the  maker  of  the  gun  ?" 

"  Pshaw,  any  body  you  like,  sir,"  interrupted  the  impatient  coroner, 
"  Gentlemen,  you 've  heard  the  witness  —  evidence  very  clearly  given  — 
Dr.  Bellamy  will  favour  us  with  his  post  mortems." 

The  personage  thus  appealed  to,  proceeded  with  great  gravity,  and  a 
technical  minuteness  equally  tiresome  and  revolting,  to  describe,  scientifi- 
cally, the  complicated  injuries  the  body  had  received,  concluding  with  his 
decided  mature  professional  opinion  on  oath,  that  the  receipt  of  the  united 
charges  of  a  double-barrelled  gun  into  the  human  chest  would  be  sufficient 
to  cause  the  death  of  the  individual. 

"  Thank  ye,  doctor,  very  clear,"  said  the  coroner.  "Well,  gentlemen, 
you  have  heard  all  —  right  lobe  —  left  lobe  —  sternum  —  laceration  — he- 
morrhage, and  so  forth  —  capital  evidence  —  needn't  read  it  over  —  Gre- 


204  TYLNEY    HALL. 

gory,  go  and  order  my  chaise —  gentlemen,  I  am  going  to  suiti  up.  Here 's 
a  youni^  gentleman — heir  to  a  fine  estate  —  an  elder  brother  shot  by  a 
younger  brother  —  shot  by  mistake  for  a  rabbit.  You  must  dismiss  all  pre- 
judice, and  so  forth.  Very  ugly  case — can't  be  two  opinions.  Gentle- 
men, you'll  consult  together  —  and  if  there  's  a  doubt,  you  '11  give  the  mur- 
derer a  benefit,  —  Dick,  take  down  the  verdict." 

A  pause  succeeded  for  some  minutes:  the  twelve  jurors  turned  round 
and  buzzed  together  in  a  corner,  like  &o  many  blue-bottles  on  a  window- 
pane,  and  the  voi  e  of  Mr.  Trot  at  length  arose  above  the  rest. 

"Fratricide  bed — d.  I  have  heard  of  homicide  and  suicide,  and  I'll 
take  which  of  them  sides  you  like." 

Then  there  followisd  a  fresh  buzzing,  during  which  Tablet  convinced 
Messrs.  Jenkins  and  Trot  that  there  was  but  one  way  of  being  unanimous  ; 
that  men  of  different  opinions  would  never  agree  between  this  and  dooms- 
day, and  that  in  such  a  case  dinner  must  be  postponed  '  sine  die.'  " 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  coroner,  "  are  you  all  agreeable  ?" 

"Very,"  responded  the  foreman.  "We  are  all  in  favour  of  Wilful 
Murder." 

"  And,  gentlemen,  allow  me  to  say,  a  very  proper  finding,"  said  the  ma- 
gistrate, rising  up,  '*  and  the  only  one  consistent  with  the  conscientious 
discharge  of  your  painful  duty.  In  the  name  and  on  behalf  of  public  jus- 
tice I  thank  you  for  the  verdict  you  have  given." 

"  And  I  quite  agree  with  his  worship,"  said  the  coroner.  "  Sound  judg- 
ment —  a  right  decision  —  very  correct  indeed.  Poor  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel  — 
it  's  a  shocking  thing  for  a  father  —  Dick,  make  out  a  warrant  —  a  strange 
thing,  your  worship,  if  the  Blues  should  get  their  man  in  —  Yellow  used  to 
walk  over  the  course.  I  hav'  n't  had  much  shooting  this  season  —  I  shall 
come  some  day.  Mat,  and  look  at  your  birds.  By  the  by,  if  you  know  of  a 
good  cocking-spaniel  —  I  like  'em  oldish  and  slow,  for  I  *m  getting  into  that 
way  myself — ready,  eh,  Dick  ?  — there,  give  it  to  Gregory,  and  catch  who 
can,  —  it's  forty  pound.  Your  worship,  I  've  the  honour  to  say  good  day, 
^—  good  bye,  gentlemen,  you  've  done  your  duty,  —  Dr.  Bellamy,  your  most 
obedient —  Mr.  Walter,  I  'm  yours.  Look  sharp,  Dick,  for  I  'm  ?ate  for  the 
Eagle," — and  spurred  by  the  anticipation  of  the  election  dinner^  the  coro- 
ner departed  with  an  activity  and  speed  that  seemed  purposely  intended  to 
distinguish  him  from  his  subjects  —  the  quick  from  the  dead.  In  fact,  be- 
fore the  bowing  head  of  Old  Formality  rose  again  to  its  perpendicular,  the 
personage  he  intended  to  honour  was  out  of  sight.  The  stone-mason, 
emulating  the  example  of  the  doctor,  kept  obsequiously  ducking  at  the 
Justice,  and  the  jurors  copied  every  bend  of  their  foreman  as  regularly  as 
the  crew  of  a  cutter  take  the  stroke  from  the  steersman  ;  after  which  cere- 
mony they  hustled  out  of  the  room  as  from  a  theatre  when  the  performance 
is  over. 

The  Ranter,  eager  to  exhort  the  crowd  outside,  was  one  of  the  foremost 
that  quitted  the  Hall,  but  he  had  scarcely  stepped  into  the  air  when  a  shower 
of  paper,  in  such  fragments  as  are  used  at  a  theatre  to  represent  the  flakes 
of  a  fall  of  snow,  was  hurled  in  his  face.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  deep 
execration  from  Squire  Ned,  and  an  address,  in  which,  contrary  to  hia.usual 
custom,  but  showing  that  he  was  more  than  commcwily  moved,  he  made  use 
of  all  the  pronouns. 

"  Take  it  back,"  he  cried  in  a  voice  that  thrilled  with  passion,  "  Heathen 
and  Infidel  in  your  face,  and  liar  to  boot!  — have  you  no  more  Christian 
use  for  pious  tracts  than  to  turn  them  into  libels,  by  laying  them  on  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  ?  Why,  the  poor  cold  breast  you  put  it  upon,  has  more 
feelins;  than  yours.     You  convert  sinners  !  —  You  draw  souls  to  God  !" 

"  Hark  to  un,  boys  !  hark  to  the  Squire  !"  shouted  the  whipper-in,  mind- 
'ul  of  hia  old  grudge  against  the  Ranter.     "  Look  at  the  ugly  spiteful  face 


TTJ^NEY    HALL.  205 

of  the  varmint.     Why,  if  he  coined  near  my  death-bed,  I  should  be  like  to 
say,  Here  's  the  ould  one  a  fetching  me  afore  my  time  !" 

"  Take  the  last  of  it!"  said  the  Squire,  throwing  a  reserved  handful 
of  the  scraps  at  Uriah  ;  '*  and  another  time  when  you  dare  to  slander  a 
corpse  —  " 

"Lord  above!"  exclaimed  the  Ranter,  with  an  appropriate  elevation  of 
his  hands  and  eyes,  "  here 's  a  coil  about  a  broken  potsherd,  the  carcass  of 
a  wicked  reprobate — fit  only  for  the  dogs  as  ate  up  Jezebel " 

He  was  unable  to  utter  more,  for  the  maimed  hand  of  the  Squire  was  at 
his  throat,  and  a  very  unequal  struggle  instantly  commenced.  Perhaps 
there  were  few  of  the  spectators  who  did  not  immediately  long  to  be  con- 
cerned in  it,  and  on  the  same  side  ;  but,  with  the  honourable  and  peculiar 
love  of  fair  play  that  characterizes  Englishmen,  they  fell  back  by  common 
consent,  and  formed  a  ring,  as  inviolable  as  the  lists  of  chivalry.  The  con- 
test promised  necessarily  to  be  of  brief  duration,  for  in  bulk  and  length  the 
Ranter  had  greatly  the  advantage,  and  with  his  long  arms,  and  a  head 
taller  than  his  opponent,  he  stood  over  the  Squire  like  a  crane  at  a  wharf, 
with  the  apparent  power  of  lifling  him  at  pleasure.  In  fact,  he  several  timca 
raised  the  other  off  his  legs  with  the  greatest  ease,  but,  with  cat-like  dexte- 
rity, the  Squire  continued  always  to  alight  on  his  feet,  so  that,  though  Uriah 
occasionally  tossed  him  up  and  down  almost  like  a  nurse-maid  with  a  child, 
he  could  not  accomplish  the  nursery  feat  of  rolling  him  on  the  floor.  Once 
or  twice  the  Ranter  tried  the  "Flying  Horse,"  which  consists  in  the  wrest- 
ler's pitching  his  adversary  over  his  own  head  ;  but  with  the  quickness  of 
lightning  Ned  shifted  his  grip,  with  his  hands  planted  in  the  enemy's  loins 
so  awkwardly,  that  the  latter  was  foiled  at  each  attempt.  The  interest  to 
the  spectators  became  intense.  They  correspondingly  swayed  their  bodies, 
and  rose  on  tip-toe,  or  stooped,  in  eager  sympathy  with  the  motions  of  the 
adverse  party ;  they  panted,  and  strung  their  own  sinews,  and  many  a  pal- 
pitation anticipated  the  result  of  a  seemingly  decisive  effort:  but  coolness, 
skill,  and  the  inspiriting  influence  of  earnest  affection  and  a  good  cause, 
made  amends  for  any  physical  inferiority,  and  maintained  a  struggle  of  un- 
expected endurance.  As  for  Old  Mat,  who  had  been  a  wrestler  in  his 
youth,  he  had  Ions:  set  his  teeth,  with  a  determination  that  would  have  bit- 
ten a  bullet  in  half,  whilst  his  hands  were  clenched  with  a  grasp  almost 
equal  to  the  cracking  of  a  cocoa-nut,  but  —  in  less  time  than  but  can  be 
written,  —  giving  way  it  seemed  with  his  heart-strings,  and  like  a  stroke  ot 
paralysis,  his  sinews  were  struck  powerless,  as  he  saw  the  living  column 
suddenly  lose  its  centre  of  gravity,  and  descend  with  velocity  tovvards  the 
earth.  The  Squire  was  obviously  undermost,  yet  striking  the  ground,  as  it 
seemed,  violently  with  one  foot,  and  giving  way  with  the  other,  for  the  evo- 
lution was  too  instantaneous  to  be  distinctly  perceived,  the  position  of  the 
falling  bodies  was  reversed,  and  without  knowing  how  it  had  been  effected, 
and  scarcely  believing  that  it  was  done,  the  delighted  circle  saw  the  cham- 
pion of  Riniiwood  rising  upon  his  knees  from  the  body  of  the  spiritual  ruf- 
fian, who  lay  stunned  upon  the  ground. 

A  loud  and  hearty  shout  welcomed  this  grateful  termination  of  the  affray, 
and  at  the  same  lime,  suggested  to  the  Squire  the  impropriety  of  such  a  tu- 
midt  in  front  of  the  house  of  mourning. 

"Don't  open,  boys,"  he  said,  "don't  open,  but  go  away  quietly;  1 
was  wrong  myself,  —  but  my  blood  was  up  to  hear  him  abused,  —  do  n't 
hang  about,  but  go  home  —  you  ' vc  h'-ard  the  verdict  —  I  say  nothing  to  it  — ■ 
my  thought's  my  own,  I  ho[)e  you've  saddled  the  right  horse,  that's  all, — " 
anri,  turning  sharply  round,  the  speaker  re-entered  the  Hall,  to  resume  his 
melancholy  station  beside  ihe  corpse. 

*'  Pie 's  an  odd  man,  the  Squire,"  remarked  Tablet,  a  little  offended  at  the 
knpeachment  of  the  verdict,  "  and  he  has  odd  notions  :  for  instance,  that  a 
8* 


206  rVLNEY    HALL. 

man  with  one  eye  can  see  better  than  twelvq  men  with  two  eyes  a-picce  ;" 
and  with  this  sarcastic  allusion  to  Ned's  deficiency,  he  took  leave  of  his  breth- 
ren and  conimenced  his  stately  march  down  the  avenue.  But  the  stranger 
be  had  conversed  with  in  the  morning  had  disappeared.  As  for  the  Ranter, 
he  had  risen  from  tlie  ground  during  the  H(juire's  address  to  the  crowd,  and 
was  striding  away  far  ahead,  consoling  himself  with  a  determination  to 
preach  in  his  own  c  lapel  the  next  Sabbath,  from  the  4th  chapter  of  Gene- 
sis, 10th,  11th,  and  12th  verses,  with  special  reference  to  the  late  events  at 
the  Hall. 

Thus  terminated  an  inquest,  the  faithful  record  of  which  may  assist  the 
ormation  of  a  decided  opinion,  by  those  persons  whose  minds  are  still  un- 
settled upon  the  point,  whether  the  coroner's  court  ought  to  be  an  open  or 
a  close  one,  and  likewise,  as  to  the  propriety  of  remunerating  the  jurors  for 
such  services.  It  may  suggest,  besides,  some  reasonable  doubts,  whether 
even  surgeons  and  butchers  might  not  entertain  as  mild  and  merciful  views 
as  the  grazier  who  fattens  the  ox  for  killing,  or  the  cutler  who  makes  the 
scalpel.  The  present  is  not  an  age  for  letting  any  particular  class  of  the 
community  lie  under  ban  ;  and  perhaps  some  liberal  senator  may  be  in- 
duced to  entitle  Mr.  Scales,  by  bill,  to  possess  common  humanity,  and 
declare  Mr.  Brodie  not  to  be  a  savage  by  Act  of  Parliament. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

What  child  have  I  ?     Alas  !  I  have  but  one, 
And  him  you  would  tear  from  me. 

The  Roman  Father. 

Have  the  Fates  then  conspired,  and  quite  bereft 
My  drooping  years  of  all  the  blest  content 
That  age  partakes  of,  by  the  sweet  aspect 
Of  then-  well -nurtured  issue  ? 

Tailor. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  but  one  which  must  be  familiar  to  almost  every  man's 
experience,  that  under  circumstances  of  intense  anxiety  and  excitement,  the 
power  of  the  organs  of  si^ht  and  hearing  will  become  extended  in  a  very 
extraordinary  degree.  To  the  eager  watcher  and  the  listener,  distant 
objects  and  sounds  are  distinctly  perceptible,  far  beyond  the  range  of  any 
other  eye  or  ear  ;  and  the  expectant  literally  receives  intelligence  as  super- 
naturaily  exclusive  as  the  announcement  to  the  mourner  in  the  ballad  :  — 

I  hear  a  voice  you  cannot  hear 

That  says  I  must  not  stay ; 
I  see  a  hand  you  cannot  see, 

That  beckons  me  away. 

Thus,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  words,  and  only  those,  of  the  verdict 
found' their  way  upwards  through  a  substantial  oaken  floor,  and  were  heard 
by  Sir  Mark  as  plainly  as  if  they  had  been  whispered  close  to  his  ear. 
From  that  moment,  but  the  occurrence  was  unmarked  below,  the  tramp  of 
his  foot  ceased,  for  he  had  sunk  into  a  chair,  and  when  the  Justice  at  length 
entered  to  communicate  the  result,  a  significant  nod  of  the  head  from  the 
Baronet  intimated  that  it  was  already  known,  and  checked  the  repetition  of 
the  unwelcome  words.  •  i     ti  j 

"My  good  old  friend!"  said  the  Justice,  advancing  to  the  baronet,  and 
taking  his  hand  between  both  his  own,  "  I  have  no  comfort  to  ofi'er." 


TYLNEY    HALL.  207 

"  God  forgive  them !"  said  Sir  Mark  ;  "  God  forgive  them  !  But  I  think 
all  Chiistian  charity  lias  left  the  world  ;"  and  rising  up  hastily,  he  resumed 
nis  walk  across  the  room.  —  "It  was  not  for  me  to  fly  in  the  face  ofihelaws 
of  my  country  and  oppose  an  inquest ;  but  I  do  cry  shame  on  the  verdict. 
"With  tnv  last  breath  I  would  speak  up  against  it ;  but  they  have  been  blood- 
ed once.'andthey  would  pulldown  the  whole  herd." 

"  My  good  friend,"  said  the  Justice,  "  be  composed  ;  it  is  a  heavy  calam- 
ity, and  the  last  blow  is  the  worst.  But,  as  Christians,  we  can  only  say 
*  God's  will  be  done.'  In  arraigning  the  decrees  of  human  justice,  we  im- 
peach the  divine  code  in  which  all  laws  have  their  origin." 

"  I  can  bow  to  God,"  answered  the  afflicted  father;  "lean  submit  to 
Plim  who  gave  and  who  took  away  my  firstborn  —  but  I  cannot  bow  and 
submit  to  man,  who  would  deprive  me  of  the  other.  Next  to  our  Heavenly 
Father,  who  judges  all,  I  have  as  a  father  the  best  right  to  judge  my  own 
son." 

"  That  is  unquestionable,"  answered  the  magistrate;  "but  alas!  with 
some  rare  exceptions,  the  balance  is  seldom  held  so  equitably  in  a  parent's 
hands,  but  that  if  crime  preponderated  in  one  scale,  he  would  throw  his 
heart  as  a  counterpoise  into  the  other." 

"  Ay,  heart  and  head,  and  life  and  soul  to  boot,"  exclaimed  Sir  Mark, 
earnestly.  "I'd  stake  my  salvation  on  his  innocence  f  But  we  live  in  a 
cruel  world  :  one  would  think  they  were  neither  fathers  nor  brothers,  to  open 
fuil-mouthed  at  such  a  challenge,  as  if  our  whole  breed  had  come  from  Cain  : 
whv  he  was  tender-hearted  to  girlishness,  even  to  bird  and  beast  —  and  if  I 
had  left  him  to  his  own  gentle  ways,  —  the  Almighty  forgive  me  !  —  his  poor 
brother  would  be  alive  at  this  hour." 

"There  is  but  One,"  said  the  Justice,  "  who  knows  the  human  heart ; 
and  he  has  told  us  that  it  is  deceitful  and  desperately  wicked  :  it  is  in  His 
power  only  to  know  the  truth  ;  but  as  far  as  human  sagacity  and  penetra- 
tion, and,  I  must  say,  a  conscientious  exercise  of  the  judgment  extend " 

"  Enough !  enough !"  said  the  Baronet ;  "  I  read  your  mind.  But  if  old 
Mark  Tyrrel  stands  alone  in  his  own  opinion,  he  will  go  down  to  the  grave 
with  it  —  that  a  murderer  never  sprang  from  his  loins.  That  is  my  judg- 
ment on  my  unhappy  boy  ;  and  had  I  a  voice  that  would  ring  from  one 
end  of  England  to  t'  other,  I  would  halloo  him  back  this  moment  to  my  house 
and  heart." 

"  I  would  that  it  were  possible,"  said  the  Justice,  "  for  it  would  shine  like 
the  scriptural  bow  of  promise  on  the  tears  of  one  who  sheds  them  day  and 
night !  Oh,  my  friend,  you  may  conceive  what  a  Brutus-like  trying  con- 
flict there  has  been  between  conscience  and  affection  ere  I  could  come  to 
such  a  decision,  when  I  tell  you  that  the  fate  of  my  own  beloved  daughter 
depends  possibly  on  that  of  your  surviving  son." 

"Yes,  Kate  told  me  something  of  the  kind,"  said  the  Baronet,  resuming 
his  seat,  in  a  musing  attitude,  "  but  grief  makes  us  selfish  :  and  I  forgot 
there  was  a  child  in  the  world  but  my  own.  Poor  Grace  —  poor  Grace  — 
Misery  has  been  rurming  riot  at  old  and  young  !" 

"  Till  to-day,"  said  the  Magistrate,  passing  his  hand  across  his  eyes, 
"  we  had  fears  for  her  reason.  That  danger,  according  to  the  physicians,  is 
gone  by  ;  but,  for  my  own  part,  I  still  tremble  at  her  hallucinations.  One 
whom  I  will  not  mention  is  too  obviously  in  her  thoughts  ;  and,  indeed,  his 
name  frequently  escapes  her  in  her  extemporaneous  whisperings." 

A  flush  of  exqf  isite  agony  passed  over  the  countenance  of  Sir  Mark,  as 
if  at  the  sudden  application  of  an  unendurable  rack,  extorting  bv  torture  a 
confession  of  the  presumptuous  emptiness  of  human  schemos.'and  the  utter 
hopelessness  of  their  defeat.  It  seemed  to  the  afflicted  father,  as  if  a  divine 
jfalousy  of  his  designs  against  the  dispensations  of  Providence,  had  requir- 
sd  of  him,  like  a  second  Abraham,  the  sacrifice  of  his  son  j  but  unlike  the 


208  TYLNEY    HALL. 

Patriarch,  lie  had  not  averted  the  blow  by  a  timely  submission.  In  this 
spirit  of  humiliation,  he  took  the  hand  of  the  Magistrate,  and  addressed 
him  in  a  style  not  the  less  serious  or  heartfelt  that^it  was  associated  with 
old  familiar  images. 

"My  good  friend,  it  is  through  our  own  fault  that  we  are  so  dreadt''ullv 
thrown  out —  what  is  past  is  past —  but  we  should  have  done  better  if  we 
had  listened  to  another  voice  than  our  own.  It  was  my  favourite  cast  to- 
wards Havvksley  with  Ringwood,  but  the  Almighty  forbids.  1  shall  never 
meddle  with  match-making  a^ain.  I  am  as  good  as  down.  No  buck  was 
ever  hit  more  cleanly  —  straight,  straight,  through  the  heart. — The  world  's 
done  with  me,  but  I  would  have  the  sun  shine  and  the  fawns  play  in  it  when 
I  am  gone.  It  may  please  God  some  day  to  turn  men's  hearts,  and  brinf 
back  the  wanderer  to  where  he  was  roused  — and  if  he  should  come  to  his 
father's  oldest  friend,  and  say,  '  Let  me  be  your  son,'  would  you  say  him 
nay  ?" 

The  Justice  hesitated.  That  a  murderer  should  go  unhanged  was  to  his 
mind  equivalent  to  a  moral  earthquake  ;  but  the  proposal,  moreover,  that  the 
felon  should  marry  his  daughter,  he  considered  could  onlyliave  come  from  a 
Father  like  King  David,  "mad  with  grief;"  and  he  was  meditating  a  suitable 
answer  when  the  door  opened  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  entered,  accompanied  by 
the  Creole  and  Squire  Ned. 

The  Baronet  rose  up,  and  with  assumed  firmness,  went  to  meet  his  sis- 
ter, whom  he  embraced,  and  then  placed  her  in  a  chair  beside  his  own. 

*'  I  know  it  all,  Kate,"  he  said  ;  "  it  is  a  cruel  sentence,  but  I  can  bear  it 
till  I  believe  it.    All  the  world  to  one  is  long  odds,  but  if  I  stand  alone " 

"No,  not  alone,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton  ;  "  my  voice  shall  rise  with  yours 
tor  the  mildest,  kindest  being  that  ever  breathed.  They  are  miuderers  that 
call  him  so." 

"  That  is  true,  Kate,"  said  the  Baronet ;  "  as  well  stab  a  man  as  his 
good  name.  It  was  never  laid  to  us  before.  Bating  in  a  field  of  battle  or 
fair  lists,  a  Tyrrel  was  never  charged  with  bloodshed." 

"Except  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel,  —  who  shot  King  Rufus,"  said  the  Squire; 
and,  as  he  spoke,  he  fixed  his  eye  so  intently  on  the  Creole,  that  the  latter 
winced  under  it.  The  solitary  organ  seemed  to  him  as  that  one  eye  which 
painters  sometimes  use  as  a  type  of  the  Omniscient.  It  was  a  searching 
glance  that  penetrated  his  very  soul ;  and  from  that  instant,  a  new  alarm 
was  planted  in  a  bosom  already  beset  by  all  the  anxious  inquietude  that  be- 
longs to  c  nscious  guilt.  The  course  of  crime  never  did  run  smoother  than 
that  of  true  love  ;  it  is  equally  subject  to  accidents  and  obstacles,  to  ru- 
mour, jealousy,  suspicion,  and  detection.  Thus,  Ringwood  was  dead  ;  his 
brother  was  an  outcast,  and  his  father,  by  his  own  confession,  had  received 
his  death-blow  :  the  path  to  the  goal  the  Creole  aimed  at  seemed  straight 
and  open,  but  at  each  step  unforeseen  difficulties  arose,  unexpected  dan- 
gers presented  themselves,  and  parties  never  dreamed  of  threw  themselves 
in  the  way  in  attitudes  adverse  to  his  success.  Hence  he  proceeded,  en- 
vironed with  terrors,  like  a  man  who  is  walking  upon  ice,  which  every  now 
and  then,  by  an  audible  crack,  gives  him  warning  of  the  insecurity  of  his 
foundation.  It  was  not,  therefore,  without  some  internal  shudderings  and 
misgivings  that  he  became  the  auditor  of  an  earnest  consultation,  how  his 
fugitive  kinsman  might  be  discovered  and  induced  to  return  to  a  home- 
where  he  would  be  received  with  open  arms. 

"  It  is  dreadful  to  think,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  to  -what  rash  act  this 
cruel  verdict  may  drive  so  sensitive  a  nature  ;  but  he  ought  never  to  have 
fled.  Had  I  been  you,  Walter,  I  would  have  clung  to  his  knees ;  he  should 
have  dragged  me  through  bush  and  brier,  through  fire  and  water,  before  I 
would  have  lost  sight  of  him  to  his  destruction." 


TYLNEY    HALL.  209 

"  My  dear  aunt,"  said  ilic  Creole,  looking  down,  "  1  was  unprepared  Jbr 
what  I  did.     r^'ow  I  slioidd,  perliaps,  act.  otherwise." 

"  And  souietiines,"  .«!aid  the  Justice,  "  in  pity  to  the  individual,  we  for- 
get our  duty  to  the  coinuiuniry.  Had  you  apprehended  him,  Sir,  on  the 
spot " 

"  For  the  love  of  heaven,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  for  my  brother's 
sake  —  tor  poor  Grace's  sake • " 

"  Hush,  Kate,"  said  the  Baronet,  with  a  faint  smile,  such  as  state  crimi- 
nals used  formerly  to  effect  on  the  scaffold  ;  "  it  is  only  the  creaking  of  the 
wheels  of  the  Juggernaut.  They  must  not  be  locked,  though  I  am  in  the 
dust  before  them.  But  it  is  the  fault. of  my  old  friend's  head,  and  not  his 
heart ;  for  poor  Grace's  sake,  Justice,  I  would  have  you  speak  otherwise  ; 
but  for  my  i)art,  I  say,  issue  warrant  after  warrant ;  pursue  him  by  land  and 
water  ;  call  him  a  felon,  and  put  him  in  the  dock — and  old  Maik  Tyrrel 
will  stand  up  for  his  innocence  there  as  he  does  now.  Yes,  if  the  Judge 
had  his  black  cap  on  his  head  —  "  and  the  parent  rose  from  his  chair  and 
stood  up  as  if  in  the  very  presence  he  had  drawn. 

"  My  good  old  friend,"  said  the  Justice,  "  I  fear  your  own  impression 
will  weiiili  little  against  direct  evidence  ;  the  same  circumstances  which 
have  just  swayed  twelve  men  in  their  decision,  would,  probably,  influence 
twelve  others." 

"  Never!"  said  the  Baronet,  with  great  emphasis,  "never  !  I  think  better 
of  my  kind." 

"  So  do  n't  I,"  said  the  Squire  ;  "  a  cross  of  the  murderer  in  them  all  — 
wish  you  had  seen  the  Jury  gaping  at  poor  Ringwood  :  won't  shed  blood, 
but  like  to  look  at  it  —  like  to  talk  of  it —  and  prefer  wholesale  to  retail ; 
—  wouldn't  trust  the  babe  unborn  with 'em,  though  that's  known  to  be 
innocent  —  sure  to  be  found  guilty  —  and  hanged,  by  Jove!"  And  the 
countenance  of  the  speaker  took  an  ascetic  expression  that  mat-ched  his 
sentiment.  Grief  acts  differently  on  various  temperaments,  and  with  Squire 
Ned  it  had  taken  a  querulous  tone  of  discontent  with  all  around  him.  It 
would  scarcely  be  exaggeration  to  say  that  he  felt  as  much  as  the  parent 
himself,  but  he  felt  in  a  peculiar  manner.  In  Ringwood,  he  had  lost  not 
merely  a  son,  but  a  brother,  for  whom  he  had  all  a  father's  affection  without 
any  of  his  authority.  In  his  heart,  Ringwood  had  no  rival ;  it  might  be  said 
that  he  loved  him,  but  only  liked  others. 

It  was  an  exclusive  absorbing  devotion,  a  sort  of  idolatry,  that  mi^ht 
have  made  him  exclaim,  "  one  God,  one  Ringwood,"  as  a  lady  of  quality 
said  of  Farinelli,  with  a  less  excusable  fervour.  The  loss  of  such  an  object 
was  a  total  bereavement,  as  though,  like  Job,  he  had  lost  at  one  blow,  house, 
children,  flocks,  and  herds.  But  he  did  not  bear  his  calamity  with  the 
patience  of  the  man  of  Uz:  the  wound  rankled,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
heart  he  was  ready  to  curse  and  rail.  He  mourned,  not  as  the  dove  mourn- 
ing for  her  love,  but  with  a  harsh  fretful  note,  at  jar  with  all  creation. 
Hence  his  harsh  sentence  on  the  jury,  an  ebullition  merely  of  a  misanthro- 
pical feeling,  towards  the  whole  race,  for  surviving  his  favourite  ;  and  hence 
the  revival  of  his  old  suspicions  against  the  Creole,  which  he  adopted  with 
a  tenacity  that  promised  he  would  hate  as  inveterately  as  he  had  loved.  To 
this  source  must  be  ascribed  a  portion  of  the  interest  he  took  in  the  excul- 
pation of  Raby,  a  person  he  otherwise  regarded  with  nmch  indifference,  in- 
di>ed,  it  was  inconceivable  to  his  exclusive  feeliiiiis,  and  somewhat  grating 
to  tliem,  how  the  claims  of  the  living  brother  rose  in  such  rivalship  with 
those  of  the  dead.  Such  a  diversion  of  the  pa.ental  grief  even  excited  some 
dissatisfaction  ;  but  the  subdued  sorrow  of  Mrs.  Hamilton  appeared,  to  the 
distort'^d  mind  of  the  Squire,  like  palpable  apathy,  not  the  It-ss  irritating 
thai  he  accounted  for  it  by  an  old  imputed   prcil-rcncc  for  the  surviving 


210  TYLNEY   HALL. 

nephew.     With  all  his  sympathies  thus  out  of  tune,  he  was  accosted  bj  tho 
Justice. 

"  As  a  friend  of  Sir  Mark's,  I  would  request  your  opinion,  sir,  wha 
measures  should  be  adopted  in  this  distressiui^-  crisis?  I  mean  principally,' 
added  the  magistrate,  lowering  his  voice,  "  with  regard  to  the  one  who  has 
abs«-onded  ?" 

"  Raby,  eh  ?"  answered  the  Squire,  abstractedly,  "  advertise  —  post 
hand-bills  —  offer  a  reward  — ferret  him  out  any  how  — and  shoot  Brown 
Bastard." 

The  conscience  of  the  Creole  made  him  start  at  the  latter  part  of  the  sen- 
tence, and  look  anxiously  towards  the  speaker  ;  but  Ned's  thought  had  no 
reference  to  St.  Kitts  ;  it  had  wandered  to  an  act  resembling  an  old  hea- 
thenish custom,  beino;  nothing  less  than  the  immolation  of  a  favourite  ani- 
mal to  the  manes  of  the  deceased. 

_  "  Shoot  whom,  sir  ?"  inquired  the  magistrate,  his  black  eyebrows  mecha- 
nically falling  between  doubt  and  disapprobation. 

"A  horse,"  answered  the  Squire,  hastily,  and  casting  his  one  eye  towards 
the  Baronet.  "  None  of  mine,  or  he  should  never  be  crossed  again, —  no- 
body after  Ringwood." 

"  Take  him,  Ned  —  he  is  your  own,"  said  Sir  Mark,  *'  but  no  more 
shooting  ;  turn  him  out  for  life ;"  and,  at  this  final  disposal  of  his  present  to 
his  ill-fated  son,  the  eyes  of  the  father  overflowed. 

"  My  dear  friend,  be  composed  —  subdue  this  weakness,"  said  the  Jus- 
tice. 

"  I  have  held  up,"  said  the  Baronet,  "  till  the  Squire  named  his  name.  It 
stands  for  nothing  now  ;  but  my  heart  will  go  towards  the  sound,  though 
it's  a  false  halloo,"  and  struck  by  the  force  of  his  own  comparison,  which 
the  fox-  hunter  will  well  appreciate,  the  tears  again  gushed  from  his  eyelids. 
**  It 's  all  taken  out  of  me,"  he  said,  as  he  brushed  away  the  drops  for  the 
second  time.  "  I  shall  never  be  a  man  again,"  and  he  recommenced  his 
walk  up  and  down  the  chamber,  but  after  a  turn  or  two  he  stopped  sliort 
in  front  of  the  Justice  :  *'  You  think  I  'm  womanish ;  I  know  you  do  ,-  but  1  'm 
dead  spent,  and  out  of  heart.  I  've  hardly  been  at  rack  or  manger  since 
he  died,  —  but  ii  's  easy  for  a  father  who  has  not  lost  a  son,  to  say,  Compose 
yourself,  to  one  that  has," 

"  A  man,  on  a  quiet  pony,  calling  out  '  Hold  hard  !'  to  a  man  on  a  hard- 
mouthed,  sixteen  hands  horse,  that  is  running  away  with  him,"  added  the 
Squire,  and  having  given  the  Justice  this  taste  of  his  splenetic  quality,  he 
unceremoniously  left  the  room,  to  resume  his  station  near  the  beloved  corse, 
like  Isabella,  in  the  Decameron,  beside  her  pot  of  basil. 

"  Poor  Ned  !  —  as  a  hare  to  her  form,"  said  the  Baronet,  as  the  Squire 
closed  the  door  after  him.  "  He 's  at  odds  with  every  thing  ;  but  he  is 
hit  hard,  and  his  wound  's  sore,  it  will  never  heal  kindly  :  mark  my  words, 
he  will  skulk  away  some  day,  and  turn  a  hermit,  or  something  of  the 
sort." 

"  He  sits  by  the  dead  day  and  night,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton  to  the  Justice, 
"  and  to  judge  by  his  manner,  to  myself  especially,  he  grudges  and  resents 
every  thought  or  tear  that  is  bestowed  upon  the  hving.  It  is  like  the  won- 
derful love  of  David  and  Jonathan,  except  that  I  doubt  if  any  love  can  sur- 
pass the  love  of  women.  For  instance,  that  of  poor  Grace,"  she  added 
adroitly,  "  for  my  unhappy  nephew.  If  I  know  any  thing  of  the  female  heart, 
she  will  cling  to  him  the  more  firmly,  because  the  world  deserts  him  ;  she 
will  attach  herself  to  his  fate  the  more  devotedly,  because  it  is  unfortunate 
—  the  faith  she  has  plighted  will  become  her  religion  ;  and  you  may  make 
her  a  martyr,  but  not  a  convert." 

"  If  I  understand  you,  madam,"  answered  the  magistrate,  his  black  brows 
descending  till  they  mingled  with  his  eyelashes,  "the  more  reason  my 


TTLNEY   HALL.         *  211 

daughter  has  to  repent  her  rash  choice,  the  more  obstinately  she  will  persist 
in  it ;  the  more  convinced  of  the  correctness  of  her  father's  views  in  the  past, 
the  less  she  will  confide  in  them  for  the  future;  in  short,  that  she  will  love 
your  nephew  the  more,  because,  by  so  doing,  she  will  show  the  less  affec- 
tion for  her  parent." 

"  Indeed,  sir,"  answered  Mrs.  Hamilton,  earnestly,  "  I  am  incapable  of  so 
slandering  our  dear  Grace.  I  do  not  know  a  dangliter  less  likely  to  fail  in 
duty  and  affection  than  your  own,  but  there  is  a  limit  beyond  which  parental 
authority  ought  not  to  stretch,  indeed  cannot,  without  presumption  :  a  fa- 
ther may  justifiably  forbid  an  improper  or  imprudent  engagement,  but  in 
dictating  to  the  affections,  and  prescribing  a  given  object,  he  is  infringing 
on  the  rights  of  nature,  perhaps  runnino;  counter  to  a  wiser  arrangement." 

"  How,  madam  !"  exclaimed  the  Justice,  "  a  wiser  arrangement !  is  ex- 
perience nothing?  judgment  nothing?  circumspection  nothing?  that  the 
child  can  make  a  wiser  selection  than  the  father  ?" 

"I  was  alluding,"  said  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "  to  a  higher  power;  the  same 
Being  who  ordamed  the  tides,  and  gave  the  heavenly  spheres  their  direction, 
may  concern  himself  with  the  attractions  and  impulses  of  the  human  heart 
—  at  least  we  have  reason  to  think  so.  Do  you  not  noio  bless  Heaven  fer- 
vently, with  me,  that  Grace's  affections  were  not  engaged,  irrevocably  en- 
gaged, to  poor  Ringwood  ?" 

The  Justice  was  silent  to  this  appeal,  but  the  Baronet  clasped  his  hands 
with  an  emphatic  "  Thank  God  !"  "  IVEy  good  friend,"  he  said,  "  hark  to 
Kate.  It's  the  first  comforting  note  I  have  heard.  But  Providence  takes 
care  of  its  own  ;  I  am  ripe  fruit,  and  should  soon  have  fallen,  if  the  bough 
had  n't  been  shaken,  but  poor  Grace's  dear  little  heart  was  too  young  and 
too  good  to  be  broken  along  with  mine.  Let  us  bless  the  Almighty  for  that 
mercy.  Had  our  own  wills  been  done,  we  should  have  been  as  cruel  as  the 
ancient  emperor — Maxentius  wasn't  it?  that  chained  a  dead  body  to  a 
living  one." 

"  I  confess  the  force  of  the  comparison,"  said  the  Justice,  upon  whom  a 
classical  example  was  seldom  lost.  "  I  fully  coincide  in  the  consolatory  re- 
flection, and  am  truly  grateful  to  the  source  it  came  from,"  here  he  bowed 
to  Mrs.  Hamilton  ;  — "  but  I  should  be  still  more  thankful  at  the  escape  of 
my  dear  daughter  from  such  an  afflicting  destination,  if  she  were  not  sub- 
ject to  a  dispensation  quite  as  hopeless  as  the  other  would  have  been,  and 
still  more  subject  to  acute  regret." 

"  Oh,  not  so  —  not  so  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hamilton,  passionately.  "Think- 
ing as  you  think,  it  would,  indeed,  be  a  worse  fate  than  the  other:  it  would 
be  desolation  and  madness  —  but  ask  Grace  herself,  for  she  had  it  in  her 
keeping,  —  ask  her  could  there  be  a  better  heart,  one  more  fervent  and  dif- 
fuse in  its  affection  than  my  dear  Raby's.  For  his  father,  his  brother,  for 
me,  or  for  his  cousin  there,"  —  she  pointed  to  the  Creole,  —  "  he  would  have 
laid  down  his  life." 

The  Ma2istrate  shook  his  head  incredulously. 

"  He  has  not  common  justice,"  continued  Mrs.  Hamilton,  with  increasing 
energy,  "why  tax  him  alone?  why  suspect  none  else?  why  not  ae  soon 
accuse  Walter  there  ?" 

"  I  am  here,  aunt,"  safH  the  Creole,  quietly. 

"  And  I  would  you  were  elsewhere,"  retorted  Mrs.  Hamilton,  sharply, 
■'seeking  for  your  wronged,  slandered  kinsman.  If  harm  comes  to  him, 
the  blame  will  lie  at  your  door." 

•'  And  at  mine,  too,  madam,"  said  the  Justice,  "  for  if  your  nephew  be  any 
whore  within  the  three  kingdoms " 

"  My  thanks,  my  best  thanks  for  your  cruel  kindness,"  sobbed  the  lady, 
and  covering  her  face  with  her  handkerchief,  she  hurried  out  of  the  room  m 
an  ecstasy  of  tears. 


'2[2  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  After  your  aunt,  St.  Kitts,"  said  the  Baronet,  "and  make  your  peaca 
with  her.  Poor  Kate !  There  is  no  generosity  hke  a  woman's.  Sliame 
on  me  to  say  so,  but  I  never  loved  them  both  equally,  and  as  she  knew  the 
eldest  had  tlie  call,  she  gave  the  best  half  of  her  own  heart  to  the  other. 
But  I  am  punished  for  ruaking  favourites  —  the  one  I  stood  upon  is  gone  — 
and  here  I  am  —  ruined,  ruined  for  ever!" 

"  This  is  a  world  of  trials,"  said  the  Justice,  "  where  our  sins  bring  on  us 
punishments  from  the  supreme  tribunal  as  certainly  as  in  the  courtsl^elow. 
I  am  convinced  that  all  our  several  chastenings  may  be  traced  to  some  such 
infractions  of  the  divine  laws.  As  such,  it  becomes  us  to  receive  the  judg- 
ment wiih  reverence  and  submission,  and  I  feel  assured  that  no  man  will  set 
a  better  example  of  resignation  and  respect  to  the  Power  above  us,  than  the 
best,  and  oldest,  and  dearest  of  my  friends." 

With  these  words,  the  Justice  again  took  the  hand  of  the  Baronet  in  his 
own,  and  a  fervent  benediction  was  exchanged,  by  way  of  farewell ;  but 
when  in  conclusion  Sir  Mark  attempted  to  send  his  love  to  Grace,  it  stuck, 
like  the  amen  of  Macbeth,  in  his  throat.  Twice  he  essayed,  but  the  words 
refused  to  come,  for  they  conveyed  an  epitaph  as  well  as  a  greeting :  "  See 
him  once  again,  he  will  not  be  with  us  long,"  he  said  in  a  broken  voice  ;  and 
arm  in  arm  the  two  fathers  descended  to  gaze  upon  a  face,  pale,  cold,  and 
still  as  marble,  but,  alas!  without  its  durability. 

As  they  entered  the  drawing-room,  a  favourite  black  terrier,  quite  a 
dwarf,  that  had  been  watching  at  the  door,  rushed  in  between  the  Justice's 
legs,  and  took  his  place  beside  the  body,  for  he  rivalled  the  Squire  himself 
in  attachment  and  fidelity  to  the  deceased. 

*'  Look  at  Nip,"  said  the  Baronet,  pointing  out  the  dog  to  his  companion. 
**  How  every  thing  loved  him  —  down  to  the  brutes  !" 

"  More  than  some  Christians,"  said  the  Squire,  snappishly,  perhaps  se- 
cretly offended  at  the  habitua!  composure  of  the  Magistrate's  countenance. 

"  Nay,  I  hope  not,  Ned,"  said  Sir  Mark.  "  At  all  events  it  was  a  Chris- 
tian-like hand  that  strewed  these  flowers  and  sweet-herbs." 

"  Deborah's  doing,"  said  the  Squire,  still  more  tartly  :  "an  old  fool  for  her 
pains !  —  Do  n't  want  'em,  as  sweet  as  a  liut."  So  saying,  he  kissed  the  cold 
forehead,  and  the  father  followed  his  example. 

"  My  poor  boy,  my  poor  boy,"  murmured  the  latter,  as  he  bent  over  the 
remains  of  his  son,  whilst,  for  a  minute,  his  whole  frame  shook  with  a  manly 
struggle  to  keep  down  a  burst  of  grief.  The  Justice,  in  the  mean  while, 
had  grasped  one  of  the  hands,  but  not  without  exciting  the  peculiar  jealousy 
of  the  Squire,  who  w^atched  the  action  with  evident  uneasiness;  his  eye- 
brows twitched,  and  he  screwed  his  mouth,  as  if  suffering  a  pang  of  bodily 
pain.    "  The  more  he 's  handled,"  he  muttered,  "  the  sooner  he  '11  change." 

The  Justice  made  no  answer,  but,  like  the  father,  turned  silently  away, 
whilst  the  Squire  with  characteristic  eagerness  jumped  up,  to  attend  them 
to  the  door,  which  he  closed  behind  them,  with  something  of  the  self-con- 
gratulation of  a  miser  whose  treasure  had  been  exposed  to  unhallowed  eyes. 
So  diversified  arc  the  modes  of  feeling  incident  to  human  nature ! 

In  another,  and  a  distant  room,  emotions  of  a  very  different  class  agitated 
a  solitary  bosom.  Instead  of  following  Mrs.  Hamilton,  as  Sir  Mark  had 
recommended,  the  Creole  had  retired  to  his  own  chamber ;  for  the  first  time 
breatliing  freely  as  he  escaped  from  a  conversation,  which  had  kept  his  soul 
in  a  perpetual  pant  of  anxiety  and  apprehension.  Directly  after  locking  the 
door,  which  he  did  mechanically,  he  stood  stock-still,  as  if  stunned  and  stu- 
pified,  and  with  fixed  eyes  tried  to  recollect  every  word  and  sentence,  some 
of  which  Iiad  made  his  very  heart  flutter  in  his  throat.  Above  all,  his  aunt's 
bitter  reproach,  and  her  hypothetical  assumption  of  his  criminality,  gave  him 
the  utmost  alarm  :  he  found  another  person  in  addition  to  the  Squire,  who 
would  watch  his  future  conduct  with  vigilance  and  scrutinize  it  severely  ; 


TYT-NET  HALL.  213 

hi3  fear  even  suggested  doubts  whether  eventually  their  lives  might  not  be- 
come incompatible  with  the  safety  of  his  own.  A  shudder  of  horror  thrilled 
him  as  he  contemplated  that  thus  propelled  in  proportionate  progression, 
the  mass  of  crime  increasing  like  the  avalanche  in  its  course,  might  swell 
to  an  enormous  amount,  involving  by  necessity  the  danger  of  complicated 
plots  and  multiplied  concealments.  The  ordeal  he  had  just  passed  had  be- 
sides excited  in  him  considerable  misgivings  as  to  his  own  firmness,  whether 
in  exiremity  his  conscience  could  bear  the  probe  without  flinching  ;  nor  had 
he  any  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  his  skill  in  playing  his  part,  for  in  allusion 
to  his  sentimental  lamentations  over  Ringwood,  the  Squire  had  told  him 
sarcastically  that  "he  sounded  fike  a  muffled  drum,  dismal,  but  hollow." 

The  decided  opinion  and  vigorous  measures  of  the  Magistrate,  made  it 
too  probable  that  Raby  would  be  discovered  ;  an  examination  might,  lead 
to  a  different  account  of  the  catastrophe,  and  the  peculiar  circumstances 
under  which  the  homicide  had  been  persuaded  to  flight  Suspicion  would 
thus  acquire  a  decided  direction,  and  a  presumptive  motive  would  suggest 
itself  to  account  for  the  share  that  he  had  himself  had  in  spiriting  away  his 
surviving  kinsman.  Thus  the  very  persuasion  of  his  cousin's  guilt,  which 
had  at  first  appeared  so  propitious  to  his  schemes,  became  ultimately  a  pro- 
bable source  of  his  own  detection,  and  he  felt  all  the  embarrassment  and 
alarm  of  a  thief  who  finds  himself  surprised  by  a  fall  of  snow,  wherein  he  is 
unavoidably  leaving  tracks  of  his  own  course.  Most  eagerly  he  adopted 
his  aunfs  suggestion,  that  Raby  might  be  impelled  by  desperation  to  some 
act  of  suicide  ;  but  such  a  termination  was  too  uncertain  to  have  much  in- 
fluence in  allaying  his  feais,  and  it  was  therefore  necessary  to  devise  some 
scheme  for  ensuring  the  perpetuity  of  the  other's  absence.  Joined  with 
these  considerations,  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  character  of  Mar- 
guerite had  raised  in  him  some  doubts  of  the  genuineness  of  the  certificate 
of  his  legitimacy,  and  the  magnitude  of  the  estates  would  be  apt  to  produce 
claimants  ready  to  dispute  the  validity  of  the  document.  The  wealth  he 
coveted,  and  which  he  had  reckoned  upon  as  all  but  within  his  grasp,  might 
in  this  manner  pass  away  from  him  ;  whilst  on  the  other  hand,  his  love  pro- 
mised almost  to  a  certainty  a  successless  issue.  Every  account  of  Grace's 
deep  grief,  and  unshaken  adherence  to  Raby's  cause,  concurred  to  estabhsh 
the  correctness  of  Mrs,  Hamilton's  prediction,  that  it  would  prove  an  at- 
tachment which  would  but  become  more  intense  under  persecution;  and 
indeed  this  part  of  his  prospect  had  faded  almost  into  nothingness,  as  when 
the  broad  day-light  breaks  through  the  tattered  remnants  of  a  morning 
dream. 

Even  thus  frail  are  the  edifices  which  the  wicked  erect  on  unhallowed 
foundations:  fabrics  fair  but  false  as  the  phantom  palaces  of  the  fabled 
Lamia,  "  whose  furniture  was  like  Tantalus's  gold,  described  by  Homer, 
no  substance,  but  mere  illusions."  Indeed  the  situation  of  the  Creole 
enthralled  by  a  similar  serpentine  sin,  closely  paralleled  that  of  Menippus 
Lycius,  when  before  the  eyes  of  the  deluded  votary  of  the  enchantress, 
"  she,  plate,  house,  and  all  that  was  in  it,  vanished  in  an  instant." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the  agony  produced  by  such  complicated 
feelings  especially  aggravated  as  they  were  by  his  being  alone  ;  a  prey  to 
unavailmg  remorse,  with  which  none  could  sympathize;  to  disturbed  fears, 
wliicli  none  could  allay  or  depreciate;  to  unlawful  wishes,  with  none  to 
participate ;  to  dark  and  desperate  schemings,  unadvised,  unassisted,  un- 
encouraged.  In  such  a  gloomy  hour,  the  companionship  of  a  confederate 
fiend  even  might  be  preferable  to  utter  solitude,  and  as  the  Creole  yearned 
for  the  presence  of  his  designing  foster-mother,  he  pronounced  her  name 
with  a  sigh  that  bordered  on  a  groan. 

The  invocation  was  of  some  efficacy.  It  is  true  that  Marguerite  did  not 
ri?e  bodily  before  him,  but  her  image  confronted  him  in  hi?  mind's  eye,  with 
8—1 


214  TYLNEY    HALL. 

her  black  orbs  flashing  in  scorn,  and  her  lip  curling  into  a  sneering  smile 
at  his  pusillanimity. 

"  Is  this  Walter  Tyrrel  ?"  she  seemed  to  cry,  Hke  one  of  the  weird  sisters, 
—  "  the  Sir  Walter  hereafter?  Is  this  the  future  husband  of  Grace  Rivers, 
who  resigns  his  chance  because  his  rival  is  an  outlaw,  driven  into  the  bush 
Is  this  the  brave  defier  of  Ringwood,  whose  courage  droops  when  his  enemy 
lies  a  clod  at  his  foot?  He  talked  of  becoming  a  cayman,  but  he  is  dwin- 
dled to  a  mere  lizard :  he  had  the  aspirings  of  a  young  eagle,  but  his  flight 
is  the  puny  flight  of  the  bonito.  He  promised  to  launch  thunderbolts,  and 
is  scared  at  the  casting  of  a  squib.  Then  is  he  become  indeed  a  bastard, 
a  slave,  and  the  son  of  a  slave,  only  fit  for  the  buckra  to  deride  with  his 
tongue,  to  buffet  with  his  ]iand,«.nd  spurn  with  his  foot." 

Thus  whispered  the  devilish  spirits  of  his  female  Mephistophiles,  drown. 
ing  the  small  still  voice  of  conscience  in  his  ear,  and  deadening  all  the 
promptings  of  natural  compunction.  Unlike  the  spectral  apparitions  that 
alarmed  Macbeth,  or  the  professional  phantoms  that  appalled  Richard  the 
Third,  the  evil  influence  paraded  before  him  a  triumphant  pageantry,  in 
which  the  crowning  objects  of  love,  ambition,  and  avarice,  bore  conspicuous 
parts,  and  the  flimsy,  fraudulent  texture  of  such  unholy  shows,  base  forge- 
ries merely  to  entrap  the  living  soul,  was  again  forgotten.  In  a  mood  fit 
for  such  a  task,  he  sat  down  to  write  to  his  friend  Woodley  of  St.  James's 
Street,  in  whose  house,  it  will  be  remembered,  he  had  advised  Raby  to  seek 
a  refuge.  Between  this  gentleman  and  St.  Kitts  there  existed  an  old 
college  friendship,  if  such  a  term  may  be  debased  to  designate  one  of  those 
heartless  leagues,  which  owe  their  origin  to  a  companionship  in  vice  and 
villany.  Some  underhand  confederacy  in  a  gambling  transaction  had  added 
to  congeniality  of  disposition  the  tie  of  mutual  secrecy,  and  in  writing  to 
this  party,  the  Creole  knew  he  was  addressing  an  unscrupulous  agent,  who 
would  bring  to  the  execution  of  his  wishes  both  ability  and  fidelity.  Thanks 
to  a  triple  veil  of  hypocrisy,  and  his  habitual  caution,  this  feature  of  the 
Creole's  college  character  had  escaped  detection  ;  the  remembrance  ot 
former  successes  considerably  reassured  him  on  the  subject  of  his  future 
lelinquencies,  and  his  style  even  amounted  to  levity,  in  the  course  of  pen- 
ning the  following  billet  to  his  old  associate  : — 

"  Dear  Decce-Ace, 

"  To  save  troublesome  explanations,  read  the  enclosed  ;  seal,  and  deliver 
it  '  when  called  for.'  The  game  is  good.  I  hold  winning  cards  if  you  play 
well  up  to  my  hand.  One  deal,  and  out!  and  the  stakes  —  better  than  a 
slam  at  spicy  ! ! ! 

"  A  snake  stopped  the  march  of  a  Roman  army  ;  but  would  it  not  be 
pitiful  if  my  progress  up  the  avenue  of  Tylney  Hall,  as  its  master,  mind, 
should  be  stopped  by  a  worm  ?  Genius,  '  book-worm.'  You  remember  a 
specimen  at  college.  Moreover,  with  a  bill  of  love,  signed,  dated,  and 
accepted,  in  his  hand,  he  stands  between  a  certain  Grace,  and  a  certain 
gracf^less. 

"You  must  ship  him  oflf"  somewhere.  The  sea  is  not  so  confined  or 
over-stocked,  but  it  may  bear  another  Gull  on  it.  I  am  not  so  interested  in 
the  venture  as  to  require  that  the  vessel  so  freighted  be  A  I. 

"  1  must  trouble  you  to  stand  God-father  to  him,  in  giving  him  an  alias, 
and  you  may  help  him  to  a  hundred  on  my  account;  but  he  has  means  of 
his  own.  Scare  him  heartily,  confirm  all  my  facts,  and  enforce  all  my  argu- 
ments, I  should  have  said  back  my  gammon. 

'*  In  serving  an  old  pal,  a  wealthy  one  that  is  to  be,  you  may  do  bettei 
lor  yourself  than  even  by  showing  your  pluck  to  pigeons  at  Fulham. 

"  Thine  truly, 

"  Ace-Deuce." 


TYLNEY    HALL.  215 

.  The  enclosure  presented  a  curious  contrast  to  the  preceding  epistle :  it 
read  hke  the  efFusion  of  what  certain  old  women  of  both  sexes  would  deno- 
minate a  very  good,  moral,  and  decidedly  serious  young  man.    Ecce  signum. 

"  My  Dearest  Cousin, 

"  My  heart  bleeds  to  picture  the  distressing  agony  that  will  rend  yours 
on  receipt  of  this  painful  letter.  I  have  nothing  but  cruel  tidmgs  to  com- 
municate, so  cruel  that  I  doubt  while  I  write  whether  I  live  in  a  civilized 
country.  Alas  !  all  my  worst  fears  are  realized,  and  even  the  wildest  chi- 
meras of  doubt  and  terror  have  become  real  demons  howling  for  your 
destruction.  Within  this  very  hour,  twelve  men,  or  I  should  rather  call 
them  fiends  in  human  shape",  have  outraged  nature  by  pronouncing  you 
'  Guilty  of  Murder,'  the  unprovoked,  premeditated  murder  of  the  best  of 
brothers.  One  would  expect  the  common  feelings  of  our  kind  would  come 
unwillinely  to  such  a  degrading  conclusion,  but  so  easily  and  perversely 
are  our  weak  frail  judgments  led  astray,  and  so  universally  is  the  clamour 
raised  against  you  for  your  blood,  that  I  do  not  believe  upon  my  sacred 
honour  that  twelve  men  could  be  found  throuifhout  the  whole  country  to 
reverse  the  unjust  sentence.  Your  abiding  a  formal  trial  is,  therefore,  out 
of  the  question.  But  worse  remains  to  be  told.  I  would  some  other  pen 
than  my  own  were  charged  with  such  an  infliction,  but  even  my  affection 
for  you  imperiously  demands  that  you  should  honestly  know  the  truth  and 
the  whole  extent  of  your  danger.  I  fear  to  assure  you  that  I  who  was 
present,  and  eye-witness  of  our  heart-rending  catastrophe,  and  consequently 
the  best  judge"',  have  never  ceased  to  lift  up  my  voice  in  your  behalf,  as  the 
author  of  a  deplorable  but  truly  accidental  calamity  ;  I  say  1  fear  that  to 
tell  you  this  will  be  but  a  small  alleviation  of  the  afflicting  and  almost 
incredible  fact,  that  of  all  connected  with  you  by  ties  of  blood  or  affection, 
I  stand  almost  if  not  altogether  alone  in  this  favourable  opinion. 

"  Your  father  even  has  suffered  his  usual  excellent  judgment  to  be  warped 
by  the  examples  of  his  friends,  if  they  may  be  called  so,  who  are  so  much 
your  foes.  Mr.  Rivers  is  inexorable  ;  he  has  signed  warrants,  and  des- 
patched runners  after  you,  but  you  know  his  Brutus,  or  rather  brutal  pro- 
pensity to  what  he  miscalls  public  justice.  The  Squire  is  actually  outrageous; 
to  convey  an  idea  of  it,  I  must  borrow  the  simile  of  the  tigress  robbed  of  her 
whelp,  —  he  swears,  and  I  believe  him,  that  he  could  take  \our  life  with  his 
own  hands.  As  for  your  aunt,  she  is  wavering,  but  I  could  wish,  for  the 
sake  of  the  sex,  there  had  been  another  more  steadfast  in  her  first  faith. 
Summon  up,  my  dear  Raby,  all  your  resolution,  all  your  fortitude,  all  your 
pride ;  you  must  forget  her,  who  is  unworthy  of  so  sincere  a  passion  as 
must  emanate  from  a  nature  like  yours.  The  fickleness  of  woman  is  pro- 
verbial, but  till  now  I  tliought  it  was  a  fable. 

"  The  All-wise  Dispenser,  who  never  sends  pleasure  unalloyed,  as  seldom 
inflicts  pain  without  mitisation  ;  and  this  loss  will  alleviate  the  bitter  regret 
you  wrAild  otherwise  have  suffered  in  leaving  your  own  country.  My  part- 
ing words  to  you  were  too  prophetical :  you  must  leave  England,  perhaps 
for  years,  till  this  wolfish  rage  for  your  blood  is  appeased,  and  the  popular 
mania  has  been  cured,  or  at  least  subdued.  But  this  will  be  a  work  of  time 
—  lose  none,  in  the  mean  while,  I  itnplore  you,  —  I  shudder  to  think  of  the 
consequences  of  your  being  taken  during  this  feverish  delirium.  My  pen 
refuses  to  paint  the  objects  that  belong  to  the  horrible  picture  of  your  public 
execution,  for  it  would  be  not  merely  a  legal  murder,  but  a  massacre  in 
which  neither  yotmg  nor  old  would  be  spared.  You  must  place  the  ocean 
between  yourself  and  such  a  catastrophe  ;  but  consult  my  good  friend 
Woodley,  there  is  not  a  better  or  abler  adviser  in  existence,  and  for  honour 
really  chivalrous,  generosity  truly  romantic,  and  a  sensibility  rivalling  fe- 
male tenderness,  he  is  a  unique  specimen  of  what  man  ought  to  be,  rather 


216  TYLNEY  HALL. 

than  what  he  is.  I  need  not  say  confide  in  him,  he  will  direct  your  couise 
and  furnish  the  means  if  required.  Do  not  write  here,  for  thereby  you 
would  be  traced  ;  enclose  all  your  letters  to  Woodley,  and  he  will  forward 
them  to  me;  I  will  personally  take  charge  of  their  delivery  to  t'le  right  per- 
sons, and  1  shall  uro:e  your  interests  with  all  the  zeal  and  constancy  that  a 
warm  sympathy  with  your  unhappy  situation  can  inspire.  In  happier  days, 
He  \yho  searches  all  hearts  may  see  fit  to  turn  them  toward  you,  and  rp.<store 
the  tide  of  natural  afTection  to  its  proper  channel.  E.emember  ;nis,  ana 
you  will  not  go  comfortless  ;  but  fly  instantly  for  life,  and  to  escape  infamy 
worse  than  death.  It  is  hard  to  cry  thus  with  a  heart  that  yearns  to  you, 
for  believe  me,  my  dear  Raby,  all  former  unkind  passages  between  us  are 
forgotten  in  your  afflicting  visitation,  or  remembered  only  to  my  own  re- 
proach. Religion  will,  of  course,  be  your  comfort,  as  it  is  mine ;  and  that 
He  who  redeemed  Israel  out  of  captivity,  may  rescue  my  dear  Raby  from 
the  house  of  bondage,  and  restore  him  to  our  arms  in  his  due  time,  shall  be 
the  constant  prayer  of  your  faithful  and  loving  cousin, 

Walter  Ttrrel. 

"  P.  S.  Trust  no  reports  of  the  newspapers  —  the  most  extravagant  ru- 
mours are  in  circulation.  Take  care  of  your  health.  If  you  think  of  the 
Indies,  I  should  say  the  West,  rather  than  the  East ;  but  consult  Wood- 
ley." 

"There,-'  he  said,  as  he  threw  down  the  pen,  "I  think  Marguerite  her- 
self coiffd  not  have  schemed  better.  I  consider  him  as  fairly  shipped  as  if 
I  saw  the  invoice  —  *  One  Raby  Tyrrel, —  marked  C.  A.  I.  N.,  from  Lon- 
don direct,  to  nobody  knows  whither,  and  consigned,  nobody  cares  to 
whom.'  " 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Here  I  and  sorrow  sit 


King  Johs. 


I  never  heard 
or  any  true  affection  but 't  was  nipt 
"With  care,  that  like  the  caterpillar,  eats 
The  leaves  of  the  spring's  sweetest  book,  the  rose 

MiDDLETON. 

She  loved  him  with  the  disinterested  fervour  of  a  woman's  love.  When  every 
worldly  maxim  arrayed  itself  against  him  ,  when  blasted  in  fortune  ;  when  disgrace 
and  danger  darkened  around  his  name,—  she  loved  him  the  more  ardently  for  his 
very  sufferings. 

The  Sketch  Book. 

It  was  not  without  some  anxiety  that  the  Justice  returned  to  Hawksley, 
to  communicate  the  result  of  the  inquest  to  one  upon  whom  the  tidings 
mi^'ht  have  an  almost  fatal  effect.  In  spite  of  his  own  theory  of  love,  the 
words  of  -Mrs.  Hamilton  had  mads  some  impression  on  his  mind  ;  and 
although,  Brutus-like,  he  was  ready  to  deliver  the  only  son  of  his  friend  to 
the  executioner,  he  was  not  quite  prepared  to  plunge  a  knife  into  the  bosom 
of  his  own  daughter,  without  having  the  fatherly  motive  of  Virginius.  The 
state  ii:  which  he  found  her  confirmed  these  misgivings. 

If  you  look  over  head,  on  a  clear  bright  summer's  day,  you  will  see  the 
zenith  of  a  beautiful  and  intense  blue  ;  but  towards  the  horizon,  the  sky 
grows  gradually  paler  and  paler,  as  if  heaven  itself  became  dull  and  tar- 
nished by  intercourse  with  the  earth.     Even  thus,  the  pure  perfect  azure  ol 


TTLNEY    HALL.  217 

love  and  blis.s,  which  is  only  to  be  looked  for  above,  fades  away  more  and 
still  more  as  it  mingles  with  that  moral  atmosphere  of  tears  and  grosser  ex- 
halations which  encircles  this  nethor  world,  till  but  a  faint  tinge  of  the 
celestial  colour  at  last  communes  with  the  distant  trees,  the  mountainous 
outline,  or  the  ocean  level.  To  this  dull  gray  tint,  the  blue  eyes  of  Grace 
seemed  to  have  wept  themselves,  as  she  turned  them  with  a  look  of  inquiry 
on  her  father,  notwithstanding  that  their  hue  was  advantaged  by  the  pale 
complexion  of  her  cheeks,  which  had  lost  all  their  life-like  bloom.  The  lids 
drooped  heavily  over  the  languid  orbs,  and  the  fine  arches  of  her  eyebrows 
were  broken  and  depressed,  as  if  by  the  weighty  cares  and  sorrows  that 
dwelt  above  them.  She  had  a  book  in  her  lap,  over  which  her  emaciated 
body  bent  with  the  languor  of  dejection  and  exhaustion  ;  her  arms  hung 
listlessly  by  her  side  without  motion  even  in  one  long  attenuated  finger  ;  her 
very  hair  had  uncurled  itself,  and  instead  of  the  glossy  auburn  undulations, 
whereon  the  sun  used  to  glance  goldenlyasin  the  ripples  of  a  brook,  the 
long  straight  tresses  hung  from  her  marble  brow  and  clung  to  her  white  neck 
and  shoulders,  as  passively  as  the  dark  brown  sea-weed  on  a  mass  of  chalk. 

Even  the  stern  bosom  of  the  magistrate  was  touched  by  the  sight  of  his 
sole  beloved  daughter,  in  such  a  melancholy  condition,  though  his  relenting 
was  but  as  the  gradual  givins:  of  a  hard  frost,  when  the  ice  changes,  indeed, 
from  a  solid  to  a  fluid,  but  remains  almost  as  cold  as  before.  Unlike  those 
sympathetic  natures  which  receive  and  transmit  kindly  impulses  with  the 
rapid  intensity  of  the  electric  spark,  he  was  formed  of  some  non-conducting 
materials  that  reluctantly  imbibed  and  slowly  communicated  the  genial 
warmth  of  the  affections.  With  a  heart  resembling  the  asbestos  in  fibre, 
he  could  not  conceive  how  another  of  different  texture  could  consume  in 
the  fabulous  flames  of  a  passion  that  had  made  no  such  Scorching  impres- 
sion upon  himself;  and  consequently,  although  the  altered  appearance  of 
Grace  excited  both  tenderness  and  alarm,  these  feelings  were  greatly  neutra- 
lized by  his  impression  that  the  case  was  one  which  chiefly  called  for  medical 
interference. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said,  at  the  same  time  taking  her  hand  and  examin- 
ing her  face  with  something  of  the  grave  professional  air  of  Old  Formality, 
"you  look  pale,  you  are  unwell." 

"  It's  nothing,"  answered  Grace,  impatiently  —  "at  least,  nothing  noic. 
Tell  me " 

"  Another  time,  Grace,"  said  the  Justice,  with  a  motion  of  his  hand, 
that  implied  a  waiving  of  the  subject,  —  "another  time.  We  will  talk 
of  nothing  to-day  that  may  shock  your  nerves.  Keep  yourself  quiet  —  go 
to  bed  early — and  to-morrow  you  will  rise,  I  hope,  as  well  as  ever.  If 
not,  we  will  hear  what  Dr.  Bellamy  has  to  recommend  —  a  visit  to  the 
sea-side,  perhaps,  and  a  cliange  of  scene." 

"  It  must  be  a  greater  change,  that  can  do  me  good,"  answered  Grace, 
in  a  tone  as  strange  as  solemn.     "  A  change  of  which  I  have  no  hope." 

"  A  change  beyond  hope!" — said  the  father,  with  a  look  of  the  most 
unaffected  surprise.  "  Either,  my  dear  child,  you  underrate  my  affection 
or  mv  ability  ;  but  if  even  a  temporary  sojourn,  or  a  permanent  residence 
at  Madeira " 

"  It  concerns  .not  time  or  place,"  answered  Grace,  hastily,  "  or  eternity 
and  the  grave  would  be  the  true  remedy.  The  change  I  speak  of  means 
an  alteration  in  your  own  modes  of  feeling,  your  own  modes  of  thinking, 
—  there  lies  my  grief,  and  one  which  my  heart  tells  me  is  incurable." 

*'  My  modes  of  thinking  and  feeling  !"  exclaimed  the  magistrate  —  "  do 
I  not  love  you  more  than  my  own  life  ?" 

*•  A.nd  do  I  not  love  Raby,"  asked  the  daughter,  eagerly  —  "do  I  not 
love  Raby  Tyrrell  more  t?lian  mine  ?  If  you  care  for  me,  you  should  care 
for  him.     Can  you  fell  the  tree,  without  destroying  the  ivy  that  clings  to 

K 


218  TYLNEY    HALT,. 

It  ?  Let  us  fall  —  let  us  fall  together  —  but  not  by  the  hands  of  my  own 
father!"  and  the  poor  girl  pressed  her  hands  upon  her  eyes,  as  if  to  shut 
out  the  images  she  had  conjured  up. 

"  My  dearest  Grace,"  said  the  Justice,  losing  a  fraction  of  his  equani- 
mity, "  who  talks  of  cutting  him  off?  — he  is  not  even  in  custody." 

"  No,"  said  Grace,  removing  her  hands  from  her  eyes,  and  fixing  her 
gaze  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  apartment,  whilst  she  spoke  deliberately 
and  with  frequent  pauses,  as  if  interpreting  a  thfeatening  hand-writing  on 
the  wall.  "No  —  but  the  hour  will  come.  I  ask  not  to  know  the  cruel 
verdict  —  I  see  it  before  me  in  letters  of  blood  —  and  the  name  of  my  own 
father  ratifies  tlie  sentence.  Oh  God  !  oh  God  !  the  picture  is  no  picture. 
The  horrors  of  my  girlhood,  the  very  dream  of  my  childhood,  have  all  come 
to  pass  I  That  avvful  figure,  that  pitiless  parent,  steps  out  of  the  canvass, 
and,  with  a  remorseless  hand,  drags  me — " 

"Grace!"  said  the  father,  rather  more  hastily  than  his  wont,  for  his 
tongue  had,  generally,  the  stately  pace  of  a  managed  horse,  "  the  physi- 
cians had,  I  thought,  cured  these  delusions.  For  myself,  if  my  performance 
at  all  resembles  the  model  you  allude  to,  it  should  command  your  reve- 
rence. There  is  but  one  who  can  know  and  appreciate  the  pangs  I  suffer 
in  conscientiously  acting  as  one  of  the  viceroys  of  the  Divine  Justice, 
Possibly,  the  culprit  who  is  turned  ofl'  at  the  gallows  feels  less  pain  in  dy- 
ing than  the  sheriff  who  presides  at  the  execution  ;  but  what  is  the  amount 
of  their  united  pangs  to  the  aggregate  sufferings  of  society,  provided  there 
were  neither  culprit  nor  sheriff'?  The  many  must  not  suffer  for  the  few- 
By  divine  enactment  all  men  are  brethren,  and  if  a  fratricide  kills  one  of 
my  brothers,  for  the  sake  of  the  rest " 

"  He  is  found  guilty  then  ?"  interrupted  Grace,  speaking  hurriedly,  in  a 
tone  that  scarcely  amounted,  with  all  its  energy,  to  a  whisper. 

"The  law  of  God  must  be  kept  inviolate,"  —  said  the  magistrate,  re- 
enforcing  his  resolution  by  a  text  from  the  Bible.  "'Whoso  sheddcth 
inan's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed :'  that  is  the  scriptural  statute 
—  and  I  have  signed  his  warrant." 

"  And  mine  too,"  exclaimed  Grace,  rising  up,  "  and  may  it  be  forgiven 
/ou  when  we  all  come  to  judgment !" 

"  So  be  it,"  said  the  Justice,  quietly,  "  that  is  the  highest  court  of  appeal." 

For  a  minute,  Grace  gazed  eagerly  at  the  speaker,  as  if  to  discover  Avhe- 
ther  this  composure  was  real  or  assumed,  but  the  only  symptom  of  agita- 
tion she  could  detect,  on  the  minutest  scrutiny,  was  an  almost  imperceptible 
contraction  and  dilatation  of  the  pupil  of  the  eye,  a  symptom  of  nervous- 
ness, be  it  noted,  which  the  late  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  observed  in  every 
one  of  ills  numerous  sitters,  male  or  female,  with  the  sole  exception  of  John 
Kemble.  Slight,  however,  as  the  sign  was,  it  inspired  Grace  with  a  pro- 
portionate degree  of  hope,  and  with  a  more  composed  demeanour  and 
voice,  she  recommended  the  volume  that  had  been  lying  on  her  knees  to 
her  parent's  perusal. 

"  My  dear  father,"  she  said,  as  she  held  out  the  book  to  him,  "  this  is  no 
time  for  girlish  secrets  ;  read  these  pages  ;  they  are  the  faithful  records  of 
a  heart  and  mind  of  rare  excellence.  Every  line  breathes  peace  and  gen- 
tleness ;  an  ardent  love  of  nature,  and  such  a  tenderness  towards  the 
meanest  of  her  creatures,"  —  here  she  sighed  heavily —  "  as  he  is  not  likely 
to  meet  with  himself" 

The  Justice  took  the  book  that  was  offered  to  him,  and  a  faint  smile  of 
pity  accompanied  his  discovery  that  it  was  a  volume  of  manuscript  poetry. 
The  total  inefficacy  of  such  evidence  in  a  court  of  justice,  was,  no  doubt, 
present  to  his  mind  ;  he  condescended,  however,  to  glance  over  a  fnw  lines, 
which,  like  some  of  Cowper's,  expressed  a  strong  abhorrence  of  destroying 
even  an  insect ;  but  the  sentiment  only  elicited  the  disparaging  remark  :— 


TYLNEY   HALL.  219 

"  He  IS  not  quite  a  Nero  :  — he  does  n't  like  killing  flies." 

"  No,  he  never  took  Roman  tyrants  for  models,"  retorted  Grace,  pro- 
voked beyond  filial  patience  by  the  cruel  allusion  to  her  unfortunate  lovgr. 

Her  eye  rekindled,  and  her  cheek  flushed  so  vividly,  that  she  seemed  to 
have  become  another  person.  Like  an  exhausted  body  repaired  in  energy 
and  animation  by  the  transfusion  of  blood  from  a  more  vigorous  subject, 
the  intermixture  of  tUe  vital  interests  of  Raby  with  her  own  imparted  to 
her  fresh  spirits  and  strength:  her  heart  rallied,  her  veins  glowed,  her 
nerves  were  restrung,  her  mind  aroused,  and,  instead  of  the  passive  self 
abandonment  of  grief,  her  feelings  took  the  heroical  tone  of  one  prepared 
to  act  as  well  as  suffer,  on  behalf  of  a  life  and  fame  dear  to  her  as  hex 
own.  In  the  mean  time,  her  undutiful  reply  excited  the  utmost  astonish- 
ment and  anger  in  her  father,  to  whose  ear  it  sounded  like  mere  blasphemy. 
He  bent  on  her  his  severest  frown,  whilst  he  addressed  her  in  a  tone  that 
implied  at  once  the  extremes  of  amazement,  indignation,  and  reprehen- 
sion. 

"Grace!" 

"  I  am  deeply  sorry,"  replied  the  offending  daughter,  "  for  my  irreverence, 
though  my  injustice  was  extorted  by  your  own.  But  you  know  him  not  as 
I  do  ;  you  cannot  —  you  do  not." 

"  And  will  not,"  said  the  magistrate,  in  a  tone  intended  to  convey  that 
the  decision  was  beyond  appeal.  "  Roman  and  tyrannical  as  you  please, 
I  fervently  thank  my  Maker,  that,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  he  did  not  frame 
me  for  my  appointed  judicial  duties  with  a  heart  so  flexible,  a  judgment  so 
infirm,  a  capacity  so  limited,  and  a  temper  so  vacillating,  as  to  be  influ- 
enced by  such  idle  stuff" as  this  ;"  and,  with  the  conclusion  of  the  sentence, 
he  sent  the  devoted  volume  whirling  across  the  room. 

This  indignity  towards  her  treasured  keepsake,  now  a  thousand  times 
the  more  valuable,  as  the  last  relic  possibly  of  the  writer,  was  beyond  the 
owner's  endurance.  She  started  to  her  feet,  and,  with  outstretched  arms 
and  flashing  eyes,  addressed  her  father  in  a  voice  that  seemed  to  tremble 
at  its  own  unusual  vehemence. 

"  End  not  there,"  she  said,  "  end  not  there  !  Cast  me  from  you  as  well 
as  my  book.  Reject  me,  and  all  that  belongs  to  me.  Henceforth,  you 
have  no  child,  and  I  no  father.  From  this  hour  I  renounce  all  obe- 
dience,  " 

"  Grace  !"  exclaimed  the  astounded  magistrate,  with  as  much  horror  as 
if  the  whole  three  kingdoms  had  revolted  against  the  ruling  powers,  where- 
of he  was  a  fraction  ;  "  have  I  lived  to  see  this  day  !" 

"  There  are  worse  in  store,"  answered  Grace,  less  vehemently,  but  with 
equal  determination,  "  worse  for  us  both.  You  have  taught  me  my  duly 
—  that  the  claims  of  everlasting  justice  are  superior  to  the  natural  ties  be- 
tween parent  and  child.  Be  inexorable  in  your  course,  and  so  will  I, — 
though  they  div(  rge  so  that  we  must  part  for  ever." 

"  And  what  is  the  disobedient  path,"  asked  the  stern  Justice,  "that  your 
rebellious  fancy  suggests  to  you  ?" 

"  A  plain  one,"  said  Grace,  with  the  calmness  that  belongs  to  a  resolved 
spirit.  "  You  call  for  justice  on  Raby  Tyrrel,  and  so  do  I.  Let  your 
cruel  verdict  find  its  mark.  Load  him  with  chains,  brand  him  with  crime 
and  infiimv,  let  the  whole  world  desert  him,  but  one  heart  shall  not  fall 
away  from  iiim !  We  were  affianced  before  heaven!  I  was  his  in  love 
and  joy,  and  I  will  be  his  in  love  and  sorrow.  Let  him  hold  up  his  attaint- 
ed hind,  lie  s4iall  have  this,"  —  here  she  held  out  her  own,  "  in  exchange  for 
it.  I  will  vouch  for  his  innocence  at  the  altar, — yes,  I  will  marry  him, — 
though  it  be  as  the  gipsy  woman  foretold  me,  —  the  wedding  myself  to  a 
phantom,  a  skeleton  !" 

"You  are  mad,  Grace,"  said  the  father,  with  a  grave  shake  of  the  head, 


220  TTLNEY    HALL. 

as  if  doubtful  whether  the  words  might  not  bear  a  literal  application  to  her 
state  of  mind. 

"Oh  that  I  were?"  answered  Grace,  fervently  clasping  her  hands,  "  that 
this  frightful  controversy  were  notliing  but  delusion,  and  the  unrelentincr 
parent  only  a  harsh  keeper.    My  reason  may  fliil,  but  as  yet  it  is  unsettled." 

"  Then  it  should  have  reprobated  this  childish  and  sinful  wilfulness," 
said  the  magistrate,  with  all  his  austerity.  "  I  presumed  nothing  short  of 
insanity  could  make  a  young  female  of  ordinary  modesty  and  timidity  thus 
fly  in  tiie  face  of  her  own  father!  Nothing  short  of  lunacy  could  persuade 
her  to  lift  up  her  voice  against  that  of  a  whole  country,  and  set  up  her  own 
judgment  in  opposition  to  the  community  ;  but  nothing  less  than  the  crisis 
of  outrageous  phrensy  could  inspire  her  with  the  notion  of  marrying  a 
felon." 

"  He  is  none!"  exclaimed  Grace,  fervently. 

"A  judge  and  a  jury  must  decide  that  question,"  said  the  magistrate. 
"  He  will  have  a  fair  trial." 

"  A  foul  mockery,"  replied  Grace,  "  a  compound  maybe  of  sordid  timid- 
ity, gross  ignorance,  rash  passion,  and  vulgar  prejudice.  But  who  can  try 
him  like  me  ?  Who  can  judge  him  as  I  can  ?  —  It  is  for  her  who  held  his 
heart  in  her  hand,  who  knew  every  secret  of  his  soul  to  say  '  Guilty  or  not 
guilty  V  Try  him  !  convict  him  —  sentence  him  !  but  I  will  cry,  '  Innocent, 
innocent,'  till  my  last  breath.  One  voice  shall  speak  for  him — one  hand 
shall  be  held  out  to  him  '  Brand  him  felon  — I  will  be  a  felon's  wife.  The 
same  chaplain  that  reads  the  condemned " 

She  stopped  abruptly.  The  father  started  as  he  saw  her  drop  into  a 
chair  with  her  hand  pressed  to  her  side.  The  hectic  flush  had  entirely 
vanished,  and  her  eyes  had  lost  all  their  transient  lustre ;  her  own  energy 
had  exhausted  her,  and  she  was  sufl^ering  under  an  acute  spasm.  Unluckily 
the  judicial  images  she  had  conjured  up,  were  directly  inimical  to  her  in- 
fluence in  her  father's  affections.  The  idea  of  a  trial,  which  would  attract 
the  attention  of  the  whole  country,  only  suggested  to  him  a  signal  opportu- 
nity for  the  display  of  a  stoical  virtue  unbiassed  by  the  claims  of  ancient 
friendship,  and  unshaken  even  by  the  pleadings  of  filial  affection  :  in  short, 
he  was  mounted  on  that  hobby,  with  which  he  was  to  trample  as  inexorably 
on  humanity  as  the  rider  of  the  Pale  Horse  in  the  Revelation. 

Accordingly  he  had  screwed  up  his  nerves  to  the  task  ;  he  knit  his  brows, 
set  his  teeth,  and  compressed  his  lips ;  whilst  his  hands  were  rigidly 
clenched,  and  every  muscle  stiffened  with  stern  determination.  He  resolved 
to  be  stone  —  nay,  i/mi  wears  away  with  the  dropping  of  water  —  he  in- 
tended to  be  marble,  granite — to  become  as  it  were  his  own  statue,  and 
perpetuate  himself  as  the  very  last  of  the  Romans:  but  he  mistook  the 
material.  The  block  had  a  soft  vein  at  the  core  that  was  fatal  to  his  woik- 
manship  ;  and  the  stern  figure  he  had  been  chiselling  fell  asunder  in  frag- 
ments. At  the  sight  of  his  sole  beloved  daughter,  apparently  rapidly  wither- 
ing from  life  into  death,  his  heart  relented  not  with  the  gradual  melting  of  a 
<,ommon  thaw,  but  with  violence  and  a  common  crash  of  an  iceberg  detach- 
ing itself  from  an  arctic  region,  whence,  by  an  irresistible  current,  it  was 
separated  for  ever. 

"  Grace,"  he  said,  with  a  voice  singularly  altered  in  one  brief  moment, 
"  I  knew  you  had  as  fond  a  father,  but  I  thought  you  had  a  firmer.  The 
battle  is  over,  and  victory  is  on  your  side — a  decisive  one,  for  I  shall  nevei 
strive  again  on  the  same  field.  I  feel  I  am  no  Brutus.  I  was  born  too  late 
to  belong  to  the  Romans  — in  these  degenerate  days  we  are  as  incapable  ot 
supporting  their  cool  impenetrable  integrity,  as  their  armour?" 

A  deep  sigh  accompanied  this  confession,  an  agonizing  one  for  a  man  of 
the  Justice's  temperature,  for  unlike  those  other  enthusiasts  the  alchymists 
who  struggled  on  hopefully  from  failure  to  failure,  his  first  defeat  was  ne- 


TTLNEY  HALL.  221 

cessarily  his  last.  It  should  create  a  more  charitable  feeling  in  this  world 
than  is  extant,  to  reflect,  that  whilst  the  errin:^  theories  of  infidels  are 
adopted  occasionally  with  crery  appearance  of  sincerity,  ingenuousness, 
and  disinterestedness,  the  subliiner  doctrines  of  Christianity  are  paraded  by 
professors  commensurately  and  palpably  hollow,  hypocritical,  and  time- 
serving. The  essential  difference  between  an  enthusiast  and  a  canter,  lies 
in  their  sincerity;  the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  first,  however  exagge- 
rated, demand  our  reverence  ;  of  the  latter,  our  supremest  indignation  and 
contempt.  On  entering  a  lunatic  asylum,  the  mistaken  views  of  its  in- 
mates, who  do  not  see  exactly  as  we  do,  excite  our  commiseration  ;  but  on 
the  outside  of  that  dungeon,  in  the  broad  sunshine  of  liberty,  we  pursue  a 
wandering  fancy  like  a  mad  dog,  or  rather  a  dog  that  has  got  an  ill  name, 
and  it  is  persecuted  without  any  allowance  or  mercy.  Nevertheless  such 
stray  opinions  are  sometimes  adopted  with  much  of  heroism  and  a  chival- 
rous devotion  ;  adverse  feelings  are  sacrificed,  obvious  interests  are  neg- 
lected, and  certain  penalties  are  incurred.  On  this  principle,  a  degree  of 
sympathy  may  justly  be  claimed  in  behalf  of  the  magistrate,  whose  life-long 
scheme  of  reputation  had  been  suddenly  reversed.  His  aim  had  not  been 
grovelling;  his  motive  was  not  ignoble;  he  had  aspired  upwards,  but  like 
Dedalus  with  his  waxen  wings,  his  flight  had  been  frustrated  at  its  hignest 
pitch  by  an  unexpected  but  natural  warmth.  He  dropped  at  once  from  his 
*'  pride  of  place,"  and  the  shock  was  terrible.  His  balloon  had  burst  like  a 
soap-bubble;  and  instead  of  soaring  above  the  heads  of  his  fellows,  he  was 
standing  on  the  common  level  of  mankind.  But  he  had  been  honest  in  his 
views.  Stern  in  his  love  of  abstract  justice,  he  had  always  administered  it 
with  rigid  impartiality ;  and  he  did  not  now  cede  to  his  daughter  without 
weighty  scruples  at  the  idea  of  swerving  from  his  usual  unity  and  integrity 
of  purpose. 

"  If  I  understand  you,  Grace,"  he  said,  "  you  desire  that  on  this  unhappy 
occasion,  your  father  should  for  the  first  time  relax  that  vigilance  and  zeal 
for  the  interests  of  the  public,  which,  as  the  bounden  duty  of  an  upright 
and  conscientious  magistrate,  he  has  hitherto  exerted  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duty  ?" 

"  I  do  indeed  beseech  you,"  answered  Grace,  "  to  stand  neuter  in  these 
dreadful  proceedings.  For  your  own  sake,  I  would  not  have  you  share  in 
a  persecution  that  must  be  bitterly  repented  hereafter." 

"  Then  there  is  but  one  course,"  said  the  Justice,  solemnly ;  "  and  I 
hope,  Grace,  you  will  give  my  love  credit  for  the  sacrifice.  From  this  date 
I  resign.     I  am  no  longer  in  the  commission." 

"Thank  God  !"  ejaculated  Grace,  fervently,  with  an  involuntary  gesture 
of  thanksgiving,  conveying  but  an  indifferent  parting  compliment  to  a  retir- 
ing Justice,  certainly  the  most  active  and  zealous  that  ever  sat  on  the 
bench.  But  it  had  always  been  one  of  the  first  wishes  of  her  heart,  though 
she  had  never  dared  to  express  it,  that  her  father  should  quit  the  magis- 
tracy, and  such  an  unexpected  declaration  of  an  event  beyond  her  hope, 
betrayed  her  into  an  inadvertence.  The  shade  that  passed  over  her  parent's 
countenance,  warned  her  of  her  error ;  and  she  hastened  to  throw  herself 
into  his  arms  with  such  earnest  expressions  of  gratitude  and  affection,  that 
for  the  moment  the  Ex- Justice  felt  that  the  preservation  of  the  public  peace 
had  been  well  exchanged  for  the  fostering  of  private  tranquillity.  "  C'cot 
le  premier  pas  qui  coutc"  —  having  once  given  ground,  he  relented  still  far- 
ther, and  allowed  himself  to  be  partly  converted  by  Grace's  arguments  in 
favour  of  the  unfortunate  Raby. 

"  I  w\\\  at  least  suspend  my  judgment,"  he  said,  "and  remand  the  sub- 
ject till  wf!  hav(>  farther  depositions.  But  I  am  talking  as  if  I  were  still  a 
Justice,"  he  added,  with  one  of  his  grimmest  smiles —  which  was  imme- 
diately followed  by  a  sigh. 


222  TYLNEY    HALLr 

"  My  clearest  father,"  began  Grace. 

"  Say  no  more,"  said  her  father,  kindly,  "  you  look  ill,  and  I  can  esti- 
mate your  struggle  by  my  own.  Compose  yourself,  and  let  us  mutually 
hope  the  best.  Let  the  reproach  of  murder  be  satisfactorily  removed,  and 
since  R,inii;\vood  is  gone,  now  I  am  at  my  confessions,  I  would  sooner  be- 
stow you  on  the  son  of  my  oldest  and  dearest  friend,  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  than 
any  one  I  know.  Let  this  idea  console  you,  but  not  mislead  and  delude 
you  with  too  sanguine  anticipations  —  the  result  must  depend  on  ttie  gist 
of  the  evidence,  that  will  prove  the  animus  —  so  we  tised  to  call  it  All 
turns  upon  that.  Remember,  I  pledge  myself  to  no  opinion  ;  he  may  be 
innocent,  or  he  may  be  guilty  !  and  I  must  warn  you,  that  in  the  latter  case 
I  would  not  even  affix  my  signature  to  a  petition,  interfering  with  the  ex- 
treme penalty  of  the  law.  On  the  other  hand,  let  him  be  cleared  by  the 
voice  of  a  jury  of  his  countrymen,  and  I  may  be  induced  to  sanction  your 
attachment,  provided  always,  that  it  be  accompanied  by  a  due  deference  to, 
and  recognition  of,  the  vested  rights  of  parental  authority." 

During  the  preceding  speech,  the  colour  of  Grace  alternately  went  and 
came,  and  she  thrilled  and  trembled  by  turns,  according  to  the  tenor  of 
each  sentence.  The  allusion  to  an  ignominious  death  made  her  shudder, 
but  the  welcome  promise  in  the  conclusion  produced  a  shower  of  tears. 
Her  heart  was  too  full  to  speak,  but  she  eagerly  seized  and  kissed  the  hand 
of  her  father,  as  he  restored  to  her  the  precious  volume  he  had  before  hurled 
away  from  him,  an  act  which  imported  more  kindness  than  even  his  words. 
He  affectionately  embraced  her  in  return,  and  thenceforward  they  en- 
joyed a  communion  of  love  and  confidence  more  perfect  than  they  had  ever 
before  experienced. 

"  I  did  not  expect  my  career  to  end  thus,  said  the  Justice  to  himself,  as 
he  retired  to  his  study  to  meditate  on  what  had  passed  ;  "  I  thought  I  had 
more  nerve,  more  firmness,  more  decision  of  character.  I  was  miserably  de- 
ceived :  perhaps,  if  I  had  had  a  son  to  deal  with  it  might  have  proved  other- 
wise." Here  he  ventured  to  glance  at  his  favourite  picture,  where,  in  truth, 
the  sons  of  the  Roman  stoic  stood  prominently  in  the  fore-ground,  with 
swaggering  attitudes  and  hardened  defying  faces,  as  if  each  was  uttering 
the  undutiful  boast  of  the  Kentuckian,  "My  father  can  lick  any  body,  and 
I  can  lick  /«(n." 

"But  in  a  daughter,"  continued  the  magistrate,  "there  is  such  tender- 
ness, such  softness,  she  seems  so  fragile  a  being,  and  withal  so  affectionate, 
that  the  hardest  heart  must  be  touched  to  tears,  like  the  rock  in  Horeb. 
However,  my  trial  is  past ;  I  have  given  way  ;  and  my  official  functions 
are  at  an  end.  Conscience  will  not  allow  me  to  continue  in  them  after 
such  a  manifest  proof  of  my  infirmity.  How  can  he  presume  to  judge 
others,  who  judged  so  mistakenly  of  himself  ?" 

Well  would  it  be  for  the  world  if  every  censor  in  it  would  adopt  his  con- 
cludino;  sentiment.  Men  are  too  prone  to  view  their  own  errors  and  fail- 
ings with  indulgence,  whilst  they  visit  those  of  others  with  unsparing  re- 
prehension. Every  one  seems  turning  as  it  were  God's  evidence  against 
his  neighbour,  as  if  by  impeaching  his  fellows  he  was  exonerating  himself 
from  the  penalty.  The  worst  constructions  are  but  upon  dubious  motives, 
malicious  meanings  are  extracted  from  careless  expressions,  the  scratch  of 
a  stray  jest  is  taken  as  a  deliberate  wound  ;  in  short,  if  the  muliitude  of 
our  sins  depend  upon  charity  for  a  covering,  the  fabric  is  so  scarce  that  the 
poor  peccadilloes  cannot  have  a  suit  a-piece,  unless  such  a  one  as  belonged 
to  the  decayed  Spanish  gentleman,  v/hich  was  all  slashes.  On  the  other 
hand,  should  the  tide  turn,  the  kindly  impression  is  communicated  so  reluc- 
tandy,  and  adopted  so  tardily,  that  the  charitable  impulse  comes  commonly 
too  late  to  be  of  service  to  its  object.  It  is  generally  difficult,  besides,  to 
make  the  amends  proportionate  to  the  injury  ;  indeed,  in  some  cases  it  is 


TYLNEY   HALL.  223 

impracticab5e,  as  was  well  illustrated  by  the  remonstrance  of  a  foreigner  to 
a  gentleman  who  had  horsewhipped  him  by  mistake.  "  Sare,  you  apologize 
at  me,  you  shake  hands  to  me,  you  beg  pardon  from  me,  but  can  you  un~ 
strike  me  ?" 

An  occurrence  in  the  ensuing  chapter  will  serve  to  develop  this  moraL 


CHAPTER  XXXVIIL 

There  are  a  sort  of  men,  wliose  visages 

Do  cream  and  mantle  like  the  standing  pool. 

And  do  a  wilful  stillness  entertain 

Of  wisdom,  gravity,  profound  conceit, 

As  who  should  say,  "  I  am  Sir  Ora<;le, 

And  when  I  ope  my  lips  let  no  dog  hark.-' 

Merchant  of  Venice, 

Lycidas  is  dead,  dead  ere  his  prime. 
Young  Lycidas,  and  hath  not  left  his  peer, 
*  Who  would  not  sing  for  Lycidas  ?  he  knew 

HuTiself  to  sing,  and  build  the  lofty  rhyme: 
He  must  not  float  upon  his  watery  bier 
Unwept,  and  welter  to  the  parching  wind 
Without  the  meed  of  some  melodious  tear. 

Milton, 

The  flood  rapidly  subsided,  but  left  behind  many  tokens  of  the  extent 
of  its  ravages  :  amongst  others,  as  already  recorded,  was  the  destruction  of 
the  little  bridge  between  Hawksley  and  the  Hall,  a  circumstance  produc- 
tive of  some  embarrassment  to  an  unsuspecting  pedestrian,  who  had  ex- 
pected the  assistance  of  the  ruined  fabric  in  passing  over  the  brook. 

"  Humph!  a  regular  pull-up,  right  on  my  haunches,"  exclaimed  the  man, 
as  he  came  to  a  full  stop  on  the  bank.  It  has  never  yet  been  explained  by 
phrenologists  why  men  should  scratch  their  heads  when  puzzled,  but  it 
is  certain  that  no  sooner  did  this  difficulty  present  itself  to  the  wayfarer, 
than  his  hat  was  off  in  one  hand,  while  the  fingers  of  the  other  hunted  through 
his  short  yellow  scrubby  hair,  like  a  team  of  spaniels  in  a  field  of  stubble. 
At  the  same  moment  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  stream,  and  with  all  his 
might  began  to  ponder  what  substitute  could  be  found  for  a  bridge,  a  deli- 
beration to  which  Lavater  would  have  assigned  a  very  distant  termination, 
for  of  all  countenances  ever  created,  thai  of  Master  Goff^  one  of  the  country 
constables,  had  the  least  expression  of  sagacity  or  intelligence.  It  was 
certainly  no  superabundance  of  brain  in  the  interior  that  made  his  two 
heavy  eyes  with  their  lids  protrude  from  their  sockets  like  two  well-poached 
eo:gs,  except  that  in  place  of  the  yelks  there  were  two  globes  of  the  dull 
greenish  brown  of  a  fowl's  gizzard  ;  his  nose  was  absolutely  devoid  of  cha- 
racter or  meaning,  a  mere  mushroom-button  ;  while  his  mouth,  round  and 
open, reminded  one  irresistibly  of  a  silly  fish  making  itself  upto  take  a  minnow. 
Fonder  as  intensely  as  he  liked,  with  such  a  face  he  could  only  appear  to  be 
going  to  sleep  with  his  eyes  open.  To  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  the 
workings  of  our  admirable  constitution,  it  may  seem  strange  that  justice 
should  be  provided  with  such  a  doltish  auxiliary,  forgettiuir  that,  from  the 
days  of  mythology,  she  has  been  notorious  for  playing  at  blindman's  buff; 
at  wnich  game,  with  a  fillet  before  her  eyes,  she  must  take  the  first  she  can 
lay  h"i  hands  on,  from  a  Chief  Justice  downwards.  Thus  the  sapient 
Peter  Goff  had  been  thrown  in  her  way  when  she  was  groping  about  in  the 
dark  for  a  constiiblc,  an  iiijudirious  mode  of  selection,  by  the  way,  almost 
equal  to  pricking  for  sheriffs  with  the  eyes  wide  open.  At  last  the  cogita- 
tor's  mind  produced  its  fruit ;  but  hke  most  of  his  thoughts  it  resembled  a 


i224  TYLNEY    HALL. 

Michaelmas  peach,  which  takes  a  weary  time  in  ripening,  and  is  wort-ileea 
after  all. 

'*  Well,  I  can  do  as  much  as  most  men,  but  I  can't  go  over  a  bridge  if 
there  is  n't  none." 

After  such  a  specimen  of  his  conclusions  it  will  sound  preposterous,  but 
it  is  true,  that  this  straggler  behind  the  march  of  intellect  was  in  hi.«  own 
conceit  a  grenadier  striding  at  its  head  ;  but  there  are  no  bounds  to  human 
vanity,  it  is  one  of  those  features  which  it  is  impossible  to  caricature.  Ma- 
ny a  man,  as  well  as  maiden,  mistakes  his  forte,  and  strums  upon  it  with  as 
much  self-complacency  as  an  acknowledged  proficient.  The  favourite 
thonieof  GofTs  sonatas  was  bis  own  astuteness,  or,  as  he  termed  it,  cute- 
ness,  in  token  whereof  many  a  nod  of  his  chuckle  head,  many  a  wink  of  his 
dull  eye,  and  many  an  apphcation  of  his  fore-finger  to  the  side  of  his  insig- 
nificant nose,  hinted  at  superior  shrewdness,  whilst  his  common-place  re- 
marks were  enforced  by  an  emphatic  thump  of  his  club  stick  upon  the 
ground.  This  assumption  made  him  particularly  jealous  of  any  attempt  to 
bestow  information  upon  him,  which  was  always  met  by  one  of  his  oracular 
signs  of  intelligence.  He  affected  a  foreknowledge  of  every  thing,  and  as 
a  natural  consequence  knew  little  or  nothing;  so  that  as  was  sarcastically 
said  of  him,  in  reference  to  his  pursuits,  "  he  could  hunt  a  criminal  at  sighS 
like  a  turnspit,  or  pick  out  the  scent  like  a  greyhound,"  a  saying  the  slow- 
witted  constable  construed  for  the  first  five  minutes  into  a  compliment.  As 
usual,  this  functionary  had  a  satellite,  who,  unlike  the  celestial  ones,  was 
considerably  brighter  than  his  principal ;  lie  was  really  a  shaxp  active  fel- 
low, as  superior  in  sense  and  sagacity  to  his  master  as  a  well-trained 
pointer  is  frequently  to  the  biped  in  fustian  who  plods  behind  his  heels, 

"  I  say,  master,"  cried  the  follower,  as  he  came  up,  "^ here's  a  pretty  ob- 
stacle." 

"  It  used  to  be,"  answered  the  other,  with  a  sort  of  chuckle,  "  but  nov/ 
it's  no  part  of  the  prospect" 

"  It  will  give  Greggy  the  start,  though,"  answered  the  man,  commonly 
called  Tippy,  with  some  reference  probably  to  his  acceptance  of  an  occa- 
sional bribe. 

"  Greggy  be  hanged,"  said  the  constable  ;  "  he  may  do  some  of  your 
slow  ones,  but  he  's  no  match  for  me,"  and  thump  went  the  stick. 

"  But  here  we  are  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  water,"  said  Tippy,  "  Nick 
Ferrers  told  me  that  Squire  R.aby " 

"Thank  ye  for  nothing,"  interrupted  the  constable,  with  a  wink  ;  "I 
knew  it  long  afore  Nick  Ferrers." 

"  He's  ashy  cock,"  said  Tippy,  "  but  he'll  try  his  old  haunts,  most  like- 
ly :   I  '11  lay  a  gallon  Miss  Rivers  knows  where." 

"To  be  sure,"  answered  the  constable,  with  a  wise  nod;  "  say  I  told 
you  so.  I  '11  tell  you  what,  Tippy,  he  '11  be  somewhere's  about  his  old  haunts." 

"  I  wonder  if  this  water  's  fordable,'^  said  Tippy,  with  a  look  of  appeal  to- 
wards his  companion. 

"  If  any  body  knows,  I  ought,"  said  the  constable,  pompously,  "  I  've 
lived  in  the  parish  these  forty  years,  man  and  boy." 

"  Where's  the  ford,  then  ?" 

"  Never  mind  that,  Tippy ;  we  won*t  wet  our  feet,  we'll  go  round  by  the 
road." 

"  Why,  to  be  sure,  if  loe  can't  cross  the  water,  he  can't,  and  so  the  road 
will  be  the  likely  place  to  fall  in  with  him." 

"  Just  what  I  meant,  man,"  said  the  constable,  with  a  wink  :  "  but  you  'i« 
dull,  Tippy  —  it's  a  dull  day  with  you,"  and  the  oracle  gave  a  grave  shake 
of  his  head. 

"  Perhaps  if  you  was  to  go  by  the  road,"  suggested  Tippy,  "  and  I  was 
to  wade  across  the  water " 


TYLNEY    HALL.  225 

"To  be  sure,"  said  the  constable;  "it's  what  I've  been  driving  at  all 
along,  but  you  don't  take  —  ain't  I  a  regular  deep  one  —  eh,  Tippy  ?  let  me 
alone  for  a  scheme  —  he's  grabbed  as  sure  as  I  stand  here,"  and  his  stick 
again  tested  the  solidity  of  the  terra  firma.  "  He's  limed,  Tippy  —  he's 
trapped  —  mark  my  words,  he  is  —  and,  in  that  case,  he's  as  good  as 
caught." 

'J'he  follower  made  no  answer,  but  proceeded  along  the  bank,  looking 
out  for  a  shallow  part  of  the  brook  where  he  might  wade  over,  and  he  had 
gouB  about  twenty  paces  when  he  suddenly  stopped,  and  bending  down 
over  the  stream  gazed  intently  into  the  water.  At  last,  having  satisfied 
himself  of  the  nature  of  the  object,  he  turned  round  and  hallooed  to  the  con- 
stable to  come  to  the  spot.  Accordingly,  with  due  deliberation,  for  Master 
Goff  moved  bodily  as  well  as  mentally  as  slowly  as  a  tortoise,  he  arrived  at 
the  place,  where,  stooping  down  as  the  other  had  done,  he  stared  at  the  wa- 
ter, but  without  perceiving  any  thing  except  the  mere  element  with  his  own 
stolid  countenance  reflected  on  the  surface. 

"  Do  you  see  any  thing?"  asked  Tippy. 

"  To  be  sure  I  do.  I  have  eyes  in  my  head,"  and  he  winked  at  his  own 
imajje. 

"It's  the  flap  of  a  man's  coat,"  said  Tippy,  in  an  under  tone. 

"I  know  it,"  answered  the  constable,  telling  one  of  his  habitual  lies, 
"  it 's  a  bottle-green  one,  with  gilt  buttons." 

Unluckily  for  the  speaker's  assertion,  a  strong  eddy  of  the  current  brought 
the  skirt  gradually  towards  the  surface,  provmg  obviously  that  it  was  a 
black  one.  It  would,  probably,  have  sunk  down  again  before  the  constable 
had  thought  of  the  propriety  of  catching  hold  of  it,  had  not  Tippy  threw 
himself  on  the  ground  and  seized  the  cloth. 

"  By  the  weight,"  said  the  latter,  "  there's  a  body  to  it." 

"  That's  just  what  I  expected,"  said  the  constable,  "and  between  you 
and  me,  I  have  a  notion  who  it  is." 

"  Who  ?"  asked  Tippy. 

"That's  tellings,"  returned  the  constable,  "  some  folks  see  fa'*her  than 
other  folks,"  —  a  nod  and  a  wink  at  once.  "  You  '11  see  when  he 's  pulled 
out." 

"Lend  a  hand,  then,"  said  Tippy  ;  and  with  some  difficulty,  they  raised 
the  body,  and  deposited  it  on  the  grass,  by  the  side  of  the  brook. 

"  Poor  fellow !"  ejaculated  Tippy,  after  a  long  look  at  the  corpse,  "  what 
shall  we  do  with  him  ?" 

"  Stand  liim  on  his  head,  to  be  sure,"  said  the  constable,  "to  run  the 
water  out —  that's  the  most  reviving  thing." 

"  It  might  have  revived  him  two  or  three  days  ago,"  said  Tippy. 

"  Ay,  three  days,  or  three  and  a  half — that's  just  my  own  calculation," 
said  the  constable;  "any  body  may  see  that  by  his  appearance — he '3 
monstrous  swelled,  sure-^y " 

"la  it  the  man  you  mean  ?"  inquired  Tippy. 

The  constable  nodded,  "It's  him,  Tippy,  and  no  mistake." 

"For  my  part,"  said  Tippy,  "his  face  is  so  swelled,  and  bruised,  and 
battered,  I  should  n't  know  him  if  he  was  my  own  born  brother," 

"  Nol)o(ly  said  you  could,"  answered  Master  Goff";  "some  folks  are  slow 
at  i^unss  work,  hut  ottujrs  ain't.     I  know  what  I  knows." 

"  What's  that  ?"  asked  Tippy. 

"No  maltor  —  that's  neither  here  nor  there,"  answered  the  constabl«, 
with  a  succession  of  important  little  nods.  "  I  '11  tell  you  what,  Tippy,  it  '3 
lucky  I  'm  here  —  two  heads  is  l)ett.(>r  than  one." 

"Hadn't   W(!  better  search  his  pockets?"  asked   the  sub,  obsequiously 
willins^  to  humour  the  foible  of  his  superior,  a  course  of  conduct  which  he 
anticipated  would  lead  to  Goff's  standing  treat  at  the  next  public-house. 
8-2 


226  TYLNEV    HALL. 

"  The  very  thing  I  was  a  going  to  propose,"  answered  the  constable,  "  it 
you  had  not  seconded  my  motion." 

The  sul)  did  not  reply,  but  proceeded  to  examine  the  pockets  of  the  de- 
ceased, giving  a  verbal  inventory  of  the  articles  as  he  proceeded  — 

"Here's  —  no,  there's  nothin  whatever  in  his  leathers  —  yes  there  is, 
though— two  bullets:  left  coat  flap  —  a  little  book  in  print — called  the 
Fiery  Glueen  —  right  flap,  a  white  cambric  handkerchief  marked  —  P  T. ; 
right  hand  waistcoat —  a  guinea —  and  a  dollar,  and  a  sixpence :  left  hand 
—  a  silver  pencil  case — a  little  key  —  name  on  the  pencil  case  —  Rabv 
Tyrrel " 

"  You  do  n't  say  so!"  exclaimed  the  constable,  snatching  the  implement 
from  the  other's  hand,  and  poring  at  it  long  enough  to  have  deciphered  a 
Chaldee  inscription.  "  Then  all  I  can  say  is,  there  never  was  a  worse  day's 
work." 

"For  poor  Sir  Mark  —  God  help  him!"  said  the  sub,  whose  calling  had 
not  yet  blunted  all  his  better  feelings. 

"  That's  very  true  ;  —  but  you  don't  take,  mun,  you  do  n't  take,"  seiid 
the  constable  ;  "  you  do  n't  look  at  consequences  as  I  do  —  you  've  no 
cuteness.     What  I  meant  were  this.  You  must  symjTathize  with  yourself." 

"As  how,  master?" 

"  Ay,  I  knew  you  would  ask  me  that !"  said  the  Solomon,  drawing  him- 
self up,  preparatory  to  giving  his  companion  what  he  called  a  furbishing. 
"  As  I  said  afore,  you  never  foresee  nothing  till  it 's  come  to  pass.  That 
ain't  my  way.  But  there's  as  much  difference  atween  men  as  between 
calves  and  kittens  —  one 's  born  with  his  eyes  open  and  t'  other  ain't.  I 
won't  name  names —  it  ain't  your  fault,  it 's  your  natur  ;  but  though  I  say 
it  as  should  n't  say  it,  I  'm  quite  the  reverse.  For  my  part,  I  roominate,"  — 
here  he  fixed  his  dull  eyes  in  a  stare  upon  vacancy.  "  I  preponaerate,"  — 
he  put  his  forefinger  to  his  forehead, —  "  and  that's  how  I  penetrate.  For 
example,  here's  my  thought  at  this  present.    A  dead  man  isn't  a  'live  un.'* 

'•'That's  undisputable,"  said  the  sub. 

"Secondly.     Drownding  is  n't  hanging." 
T'lat's  gospel,"  said  the  sub. 

'■'  TIt'rdly.     If  there's  no  trial ;  there  can't  be  no  conviction." 

"•  f  '11  take  my  'davit  on  it,"  said  the  sub,  again. 

"That's  logic,  then  ;  that's  what  I  call  knock-me-down,"  said  the  con- 
F^ble,  with  a  triumphant  stumping  of  his  stick.  "  There  you  have  it ;  now 
7^11  've  got  my  meaning  as  plain  as  a  pikestaff",  Tippy." 

"  I  think  I  can  guess,"  answered  the  sub.  "  You  mean  the  reward ;  and 
sure  enough,  there's  all  our  yellowboys  ringing  as  bad  as  dumps." 

"  My  very  words,  if  you'd  give  one  time,"  said  the  constable.  "  If  you 
ask  my  opinion,  we  're  had.  We're  done,  Tippy  ;  it's  a  bite.  There  's 
amen  to  forty  pound,  that  was  as  cocksure  as  if  I  had  it  here,"  —  and  he 
slapped  his  pocket. 

"  And  what's  to  be  done  with  the  guinea  and  the  sixpence?"  inquired 
the  understraper. 

"  And  the  dollar,  Tippy?"  added  the  constable,  with  a  nod  and  a  wink. 
"  Why,  we  must  keep  'em  as  a  dividend,  like.     But  mum  for  that." 

"Or  somebody  will  be  crying  snacks,"  said  the  sub.  "  Yonder 's  the 
keeper." 

"  Just  what  I  expected,"  said  the  constable,  with  a  nod.  "  Hark,  ye, 
Tip,  don't  you  put  in  a  syllable.  Leave  me  to  deal  with  him.  He's  a 
deep  un,  you  'd  be  pump'd  dry  in  a  minute.  It  requires  'cuteness  —  I  '11  be 
as  sly  as  a  fox  —  trust  me  for  that ;  if  I  do  n't  hold  my  own  witli  him,  my 
name's  not  GoflT" 

"  Suppose  I  put  the  book  and  ihe  handkerchief  back  again,"  suggested 
the  sub;  "  and  let  the  keeper  find  'em  himself?" 


TYLJJEY    HALL.  227 

'*I  was  corning  to  that  by  and  by.  Not  amiss  for  you,  though,"  said  the 
constable,  with  a  patronizing  air.  So  saying,  he  stooped  down  and  re- 
placed the  article  ho  had  taken  into  his  own  possession,  in  the  pocket  of  the 
deceased,  while  tlie  sub  replaced  the  book,  and  handkerchief.  The  keeper 
came  up  shortly  afterwards. 

"Bless  my  heart,  masters  —  here's  a  pitiful  sight!" 

"  You  're  correct  so  far,"  said  the  constable,  nodding,  and  folding  his 
arms  by  way  of  making  himself  up  for  a  furbishing.  "  Do  you  know  who 
he  is?" 

"  Not  an  idea  on  it,"  answered  Mat.  "  His  face  have  been  sadly  mauled 
by  the  water  varmint?  and  he  be  all  swelled  and  bruised.  Do  you  know 
him  yourself?" 

"  Don  't  I !"  said  Goff,  smiling,  and  throwing  a  knowing  wink  at  his  assis- 
tant. "  I  smoked  him  at  the  first  sight.  But  it's  my  office  to  sniff  out 
people,  felons  and  so  forth;  and  it's  your's  only  to  find  out  game.  I'm 
reckoned  a  bit  of  a  dab  at  it,  too,  ain't  I,  Tippy?"  —  to  which  Tippy  as- 
sented with  a  nod. 

"Hold  up,  then,"  said  the  keeper,  "  and  let's  see  your  point." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  constable,  "  when  you  're  in  the  dark,  you  all  como 
to  me  to  strike  a  light.  I  'U  hold  a  gallon  o'  beer  you  do  n't  name  him  ia 
three  tries." 

"  No,  no  —  it 's  an  unproper  subject  for  betting  on,"  said  Old  Mat,  witl; 
a  pious  feeling  towards  the  dead,  that  accorded  with  his  character.  "  Bu; 
I  '11  guess,  however.  Mayhaps  it 's  George  the  saddler,  and  a  bit  of  a 
poacher  besides,  to  give  un  his  due :  folks  do  say  he 's  a-missing  sine* 
the  flood." 

"  Guess  again." 

"  Mayhap,  then,  it's  young  Tom  the  miller,  for  he 's  a-missing  too  ?" 

"  Miles  off — you  never  shot  randomer,"  and  the  constable  shook  his 
head.  "  Now  you  shall  hear  mine.  Any  body  can  guess  at  hap-hazard  ; 
but  preponderating,  and  roominating,  and  digressing  is  another  thing.  Aa 
for  me,  I  always  concur  with  myself,  I  call  it  comparing  notes.  I  've  my 
own  reasons;  but  putting  this  and  that  together,  if  that's  any  body's  body, 
it 's  the  body  of  one  as  ought  to  have  ended  otherwise  ;"  and  the  speaker 
clapped  his  hand  with  a  significant  gesture  under  his  left  ear. 

"  What,  Master  R,aby  !"  exclaimed  the  game-keeper,  and  he  took  a  long 
gaze  at  the  body  from  head  to  heel.  "  It  have  a  likely  look  enough-  It's 
just  the  sort  of  trim  fur  such  as  him  to  go  a-shooting  in,  half  sportsman  and 
half  schoUard.  Them  cords  and  gaiters  are  well  enough,  but  the  silk 
waistcoat,  and  that  jaunty  black  coat 's  any  thing  but  the  proper  wear  foi 
our  stiff  covers." 

"  Say  I  told  you  so,"  said  the  constable,  with  a  knowing  wink.  "  Tlif 
toLcgery  was  the  first  thing  I  twigged.  But  I  went  by  many  more  thing! 
besides." 

"  You  searched  him,  mayhap?"  said  the  game-keeper. 

"  We  were  going  to,"  said  Tippy,  when  you  came  in  sight. 

"But,  says  I,  don't  be  precipitous,"  and  the  constable  gave  his  fol 
lower  a  reprovinw  frown  for  his  interference.  "We'll  have  t' other  wit 
ness,  that's  what  I  call  prudence." 

Old  Mat,  without  answering,  went  down  on  his  knees,  and  proceeded 
forthwith  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  truth  by  searching  the  pockets.  "  Here  's 
one  of  his  marks  for  certain,"  he  said,  as  he  held  up  his  little  volume  ot 
Spenser:  the  handkerchief  corroborated  the  conjecture;  but  the  pencil- 
case  placed  the  identity  beyond  all  doubt.  The  old  forester  immediately 
rose  up,  but  he  was  unable,  for  a  moment,  to  give  his  thoughts  utterance. 

"The  wretched  boy!"  he  said,  at  length;  "so  he  have  been  sinfully 
driven,  after  all,  to  make  away  with  himself.     But  I  always  said  he  could 


228  TYLNEY    HALL. 

never  abide  it  —  his  days  could  never  be  lightsome  agin,  with  such  a  guilt}' 
conscience.  But  he's  dead,  and  that  pays  all  —  it  be  a  thousand  pities 
though  he  ever  turned  up.  I  can't  fret  for  him,  like  the  young  Squire,  for 
it 's  only  a  judgment  come  home  to  him  ;  but  a  father's  a  father,  and  if  Sir 
Mark  have  a  whole  slrini^  left  in  his  heart,  here  is  the  sight  as  will  break  it!" 

"All  these  reflections  have  been  made  afore,"  said  GofT,  with  a  wave  of 
his  hand,  for  he  was  jealous  of  this  interference  with  his  performance  as  first 
fiddle.  "  It 's  time  to  act,  that 's  my  principle  ;  talking  do  n't  do  like  doing. 
When  I  've  preponderated,  I  '11  give  you  directions." 

"I'll  tell  you  what,"  said  Mat,  apparently  musing,  "it  won't  do  to  go 
right  on  end  to  the  Hall  with  it.  We  '11  carry  the  body  to  my  lodge,  and 
there  we  can  send  after  a  shell,  while  somebody  goes  and  breaks  the  news 
up  at  the  house.'' 

" Not  a  bad  move,"  said  the  constable ;  "I  had  one  to  match.  As  for 
breaking  it.,  that 's  quite  in  my  own  line.  I  take  it  on  myself.  Some  would 
come  plump  out  with  the  truth;  but  that  isn't  my  advice.  For  my  part,  I 
like  to  be  mysterious,  to  be  off  and  on,  as  the  saying  is.  I  warrant  I  '11  beat 
about  the  bush  so,  the  Baronet  sha'  n't  know  what  I  'm  driving  at,  any  more 
tlian  the  man  in  the  moon." 

"  Fall  to  work,  then,"  said  the  forester  ;  "we  shall  want  a  few  boughs, 
and  an  armful  or  two  of  fern  to  strew  over." 

"  Teach  your  grandmother !"  exclaimed  the  self-sufficient  constable,  with 
a  nod  and  a  wink  ;  but  he  did  not  disdain,  notwithstanding,  to  imitate 
practically  every  movement  of  the  old  gamekeeper,  by  whose  exertions, 
principally,  a  rough  litter  was  formed,  similar  to  that  which  had  been  used 
for  transporting  the  body  of  Ringwood.  It  was  under  a  serener  sky  than 
m  the  former  instance,  that  the  bearers  took  up  their  melancholy  burden  ; 
as  they  progressed  across  the  park,  the  deer  sported  around  them,  the  hares 
chased  each  other  in  rings,  the  wood-pigeons  wooed  each  other  in  the  trees, 
and  the  squirrel  gambolled  along  the  path,  even  as  they  had  been  bidden, 
in  a  verse,  by  the  gentle  Raby,  now  of  touching  import,  in  reference  to  his 
own  ungentle  fate. 

Each  furr'd  or  feather'd  creature  ! 

Enjoy,  with  me,  this  earth, 

Its  hfe,  its  love,  its  mirth, 
And  die  the  death  of  nature  ! 

As  soon  as  the  corpse  had  been  deposited  at  the  lodge.  Master  Goff  re- 
paired to  the  Hall,  to  communicate  the  dismal  tidings.  His  important 
bearing,  and  the  nature  of  his  office,  procured  him  easy  access  to  the  Baro- 
net, whom  he  found  sitting  in  the  library,  in  eager  expectation  of  receiving 
intelhgence  of  his  fugitive  son.  But  this  anxiety  only  retarded  the  disclo- 
sure: at  every  question  the  constable  stopped  and  drew  in  his  horns  hke  a 
snail,  so  that  the  Baronet  was  fain  to  leave  him  with  all  his  tediousness  to 
his  own  course,  which  he  pursued  with  characteristic  absurdity.  Unlike 
the  admirable  overture  to  Der  Freyschutz,  which,  with  dreadful  note  of  pre- 
paration, forewarns  the  startled  auditor  of  impending  horrors,  the  constable's 
prelude  did  not  contain  one  syllable  anticipatory  of  the  catastrophe  it  was 
intended  to  announce.  He  began  by  a  truism,  that  it  is  the  nature  of  water 
to  drown  people,  and,  in  illustration,  he  detailed  the  loss  of  Mrs.  Worrall'g 
sow  and  pigs  by  an  irruption  of  the  late  flood,  from  which  he  wandered  into 
a  dissertation  upon  the  advantages  of  knowing  how  to  swim,  and  then  came 
the  tragical  story  of  a  village  Leander,  concluding  with  an  original  process 
for  "  resuscitating  the  drowned."  Such  an  exordium  was  little  calculated 
to  arm  the  hearer  against  a  sentence  which,  like  the  electric  "  Tu  Marcel- 
lus  eris'^  of  a  greater  orator,  smote  as  suddenly  as  severely. 


TYLNEY    HALL.  229 

"  There 's  nothing  more  dangerous,"  said  the  obtuse  reporter,  "tnan  to  go 
over  a  bridge  of  a  pitch  dark  night  when  it's  washed  away,  and  to  my  mind 
that  was  the  case  with  poor  master  Raby  !" 

The  effect  was  such  as  to  greatly  minister  to  the  conceit  of  the  egotisti- 
cal speaker.  He  mistook  the  stillness  and  silence  of  Sir  Mark  for  compo- 
sure and  resignation,  and  lauded  himself  accordingly,  for  he  attributed  all 
this  apparent  calmness  to  his  able  and  considerate  manner  of  broaching 
this  new  misery.  But  he  found  himself  egregriously  deceived,  when,  after 
a  long  pause, 'the  stunning  result  of  so  sudden  a  shock,  the  bereaved  father 
rose  suddenly  up  with  the  mien  of  a  wounded  lion,  and  addressed  him  with 
angry  gesture,  and  a  terrible  voice,  deep,  hollow,  and  broken. 

"  Out  of  my  sight !  —  vermin !  out  of  my  sight !  you  have  mobbed  him  to 
death  amongst  ye  !  Do  n't  tell  me  of  broken  bridges  —  he  was  hunted  and 
worried  like  a  wild  beast  —  and  that  made  him  rush  to  his  Maker.  You've 
pulled  him  down,  body  and  soul  —  body  and  soul  —  and  the  curse  of  old 
Mark  Tyrrel  light  on  every  one,  great  and  small,  that  had  a  hand  in  it !" 

The  terrified  constable  awaited  no  farther  dismissal,  but  sprang  through 
the  door  and  retreated  along  the  passage  with  a  celerity  that  increased  as 
he  heard  the  footstep  of  the  Baronet  behind  him  :  nor  did  he  feel  quite  safe 
till  he  arrived  in  the  kitchen  amongst  the  domestics,  whom  he  threw  into 
consternation  by  declaring,  in  a  breath,  that  Raby  was  drowned,  and  Sir 
Mark  had  gone  raving  mad  on  the  spot.  But  the  latter  had  no  idea  of  pur- 
suit ;  he  ascended  to  the  drawing-room,  where  the  Squire  was  keeping  his 
usual  watch  beside  the  dead  body  of  Ringwood,  which,  under  his  direction, 
was  now  lying  in  a  sort  of  state  that  had  formerly  been  bestowed  only  on 
the  heads  of  the  Hall.  For  a  minute  or  two,  the  father's  presence  was 
unnoticed  ;  such  visits  had  frequently  passed  over  without  a  word  on  either 
side  ;  but  a  vain  attempt  at  articulation  made  the  Squire  look  up  at  Sir 
Mark,  who,  with  working  features  and  labouring  chest,  still  struggled  for 
utterance,  whilst  his  finger  remained  pointing  at  the  corpse.  By  a  violent 
effort,  he  at  last  mastered  voice  enough  for  a  few  syllables. 

"  There  is  —  another  coming." 

A  slight  nod  from  the  Squire  intimated  that  he  comprehended  the  an- 
nouncement, which  he  received  with  less  concern  than  surprise,  for  his  feel- 
ings were  more  than  ever  absorbed  and  concentrated  within  the  narrow 
space  occupied  by  Ringwood's  coffin  ;  indeed  every  hour  his  exclusive  af- 
fection seemed  to  become  more  intense  as  the  day  approached  which  was 
to  separate  him  from  even  the  mortal  remains  of  his  favourite.  Under 
this  influence,  such  tidings  grated  on  his  ear  and  excited  his  peculiar  jea- 
lousy. 

"  Not  Afire,"  he  said,  "  better  in  another  room " 

"  No,"  answered  Sir  Mark,  and  the  fatherly  impulse  ^ave  him  tempo- 
rary firmness,  "they  came  of  the  same  stock  —  they  were  brothers  — 
there  never  loas  ill  blood  between  them  —  and  they  shall  lie  side  by  side." 

The  picture  the  last  words  conveyed  overcame  the  speaker's  fortitude. 

"Oh,  Ned!"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  choking  voice,  "two  at  once  —  two  at 
once — "  and  the  strong  man  bowed  himself  under  his  double  affliction,  and 
wept  and  sobbed  like  a  little  child.  The  Squire's  heart  was  touched  at  the 
sight,  but  he  offered  no  attempt  at  consolation,  for  he  could  find  none  in  his 
own  case.  He  merely  averted  his  eye  and  fixed  it  on  its  old  object,  leav- 
ing the  uiourner  to  his  sorrows  without  witness  or  restraint.  The  death  of 
Raby  claimed  little  of  the  Squire's  sympathy,  but  it  caused  some  curiosity, 
and  after  the  first  binst  of  parental  grief  had  subsided,  he  inquired  in  his 
abrupt  manner  how  the  event  had  taken  place. 

"  1  fear,  by  his  own  act,"  answered  Sir  Mark,  "  the  Almighty  forgive 
him  !  — But  he  was  cruelly  beset  —  if  he  had  been  the  wild  boar  they  call 

2* 


230  TTLNEY    HALL. 

him  he  would  have  turned  at  bay ;  but  he  was  more  like  a  hare,  poor  fellow  ! 
— fearful  and  gentle  —  so  he  took  to  water  and  sunk." 

A  sudden  cry,  and  a  bustle  overhead,  intimated  that  the  evil  tidings  had 
reached  the  ears  of  Mrs.  Hamilton  ;  a  sound  that  was  superseded  by  the 
long  doleful  wail  of  Tibbie  Campbell.  However  unapt  to  imbibe  or  follow 
English  notions  and  fashions,  the  warm-hearted  Scotchwoman  was  keenly 
alive  to  those  kindly  feelings  which  belong  to  our  common  nature;  and  .her 
adoption  and  domicile  at  Tylney  Hall  had  begot  almost  a  clannish  attach- 
ment to  the  family  and  its  fortunes.  Besides  her  devotion  to  her  mistress, 
she  had  learned  to  reverence  Sir  Mark,  and  to  take  pride  in  his  two  bonny 
sons  ;  and  in  her  coronach  for  the  untimely  fate  of  the  hopes  of  the  house 
of  Tyrrel,  there  mingled  some  national  notes  which,  perhaps,  belonged  in 
strictness  to  the  race  of  MacCallum  More. 

The  Creole,  meanwhile,  was  abroad,  engaged  in  earnest  colloquy  with 
his  foster-mother,  who  had  waylaid  him  in  his  ride.  He  had  bared  before 
her  the  whole  secrets  of  his  bosom —  his  hopes,  his  fears,  his  schemes,  his 
wishes,  his  misgivings,  and  his  scruples,  the  last  of  which  Marguerite 
treated  with  ineffable  contempt. 

"He  who  fears  to  confront  death,"  she  said,  "  is  unfit  to  live.  You 
shudder  at  a  little  blood  —  you  shrink  at  the  extinction  of  a  single  life  ; 
and  yet,  at  your  uncle's  bidding,  you  were  to  enter  the  army !  Call  it  glory,  — 
and  your  hand  was  prepared  to  slay,  till  it  matched  the  scarlet  of  your  coat 
—  to  rise  from  cornet  to  captain,  from  colonel  to  general,  you  would  wade 
knee-deep  in  gore —  but  to  become  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel,  with  a  revenue  equal 
to  raising  regiments  of  your  own,  you  object  to  a  bU)W  that  is  not  even  to 
come  from  your  own  hand  !  Should  Raby  return,  Ringwood  has  been 
hated  and  Grace  Rivers  has  been  loved  in  vain.  The  stroke  that  removes 
him  will  only  anticipate  the  law,  it  will  be  attributed  to  his  own  act —  but  I 
am  wasting  words,  you  shall  be  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  in  spite  of  yourself. 
Perhaps,  whib  I  speak,  there  remains  but  one  bar  between  my  prophecy 
and  its  fulfilment !" 

They  parted  as  usual.  Marguerite  indulging  in  an  unrequited  embrace, 
and  St.  Kitts  returned  to  the  Hall  to  find  the  prediction  of  his  foster-mother 
literally  come  to  pass.  The  two  brothers  who  had  stood  between  him  and 
the  promised  inheritance  were  turned  to  clay,  and  the  father  heart-broken, 
and  doomed  to  death,  grieved  over  them  as  they  lay  side  by  side  in  their 
coffins. 

The  second  catastrophe  was  known  as  rapidly  and  universally  as  the 
first,  and  the  public  opinion  underwent  a  remarkable  change.  Every  harsh 
word  was  retrocted,  every  rash  judgment  repented.  Ail  the  courteous  gra- 
cious kindliness  of  the  gentle  Raby^all  his  good  actions  and  generous  deeds, 
were  charitably  recalled,  and  instead  of  a  monster  he  became  a  martyr. 
No  one  talked  any  longer  of  the  atrocious  fratricide,  but  all  tongues  were 
eloquent  on  the  bereaved  condition  of  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  deprived  accident- 
allv  of  two  such  incomparable  sons. 

At  Hawksley,  as  poor  Grace  had  predicted,  this  remorseful  reaction  of 
feeling  occasioned  peculiar  anguish.  The  inflexible  Justice  had  relented, 
he  had  made  an  important  sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  his  only  beloved  daugh- 
ter, but  it  had  been  done  too  late.  The  surviving  son  of  his  oldest  friend 
had  sunk  under  a  general  persecution,  of  which  he  could  not  acquit  himself, 
nnd  in  requital  he  saw  his  own  child  smitten  with  sudden  decay,  robbed  of 
her  youth,  faded  and  withering 

Like  a  palm, 

Out  by  an  Indian  for  its  juicy  balm. 

Thus  ended  all  speculation  on  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  Raby  Tyrrel.  A 
fresh  jury  was  hastily  summontid    as  tht;  case  demanded,  and  ♦he  coroner 


TTLNJiy    HALL.  231 

was  a:^ain  in  requisition.  The  second  Inquest  occupied  c».ven  .ess  time  than 
the  first,  and  a  verdict  of"  Found  Drowned"  was  recorded,  thereby  avoid- 
in  u  the  disgustincr  formulae  of  four  cross  roads  and  a  stake  through  the 
body,  a  custom  which  is  happily  now  "  more  honoured  in  the  breach  than 
tne  observance."  By  this  decision,  the  body  was  allowed  to  be  deposited 
in  the  family  vault,  whither,  on  the  morrow,  the  kindred  corpses  were  con- 
veyed, attended  by  an  unusual  concourse  of  persons  of  all  ranks  ;  and  on 
the  following  Sunday,  the  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Doctor  Cobb, 
taking  for  his  text,  at  the  especial  request  of  Sir  Mark,  the  beautiful  and 
affecting  words  of  the  lamentation  of  David,  — 

"  Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their 
deaths  they  were  not  divided." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

I  pray  thee  cease  thy  counsel, 

Which  falls  into  mine  ears  as  profitless 

As  water  in  a  sieve  ;  irive  me  not  counsel, 

Nor  l«t  no  comforter  dellgltt  mine  ear, 

But  such  a  one  whose  wrongs  do  suit  with  mine 

Much  Ado  aboi;t  Nothing. 

There's  nothing  that  I  cast  my  eyes  upon 
But  shows  both  rich  and  admirable  ;  all  the  rooms 
Are  hun?  as  if  a  princess  were  to  dwell  he.e ; 
The  gardens,  orchards,  every  thing  so  curious  ! 
Is  all  that  plate  your  own  too? 

Rule  a  Wife  and  hate  a  Wife. 

The  funeral  day  was  at  an  end,  with  all  its  gloomy  mockeries  and  dreary 
vanities.  The  friends  or  professed  friends  of  the  family  had  all  departed 
except  the  Squire,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Twigg,  whose  carriage  was  at  the 
door :  the  two  latter  were  screwing  up  their  faces  to  the  proper  dolorous 
expression  for  a  farewell  when  the  Squire  entered  the  room.  He  had  his 
hat  on,  and  the  little  black  terrier  was  under  his  arm.  He  walked  straight 
up  to  the  Baronet,  and  addressed  him  in  an  under  tone. 

"Don't  want  Nip?" 

"  Take  him,"  answered  Sir  Mark. 

They  shook  hands  silently  and  slowly,  during  which  process  Ned  fixed 
his  one  eye  intently  on  the  altered  face  of  his  old  friend. 

"  Hold  up,"  he  said,  and,  with  these  two  syllables,  he  wheeled  abruptly 
round  and  departed,  without  taking  the  least  notice  of  any  one  else  in  the 
room. 

It  was  now  the  Twi ergs'  turn,  and  they  had  evidently  made  up  their  minds 
to  take  a  more  elaborate  leave  than  poor  Ned's.  The  master  of  the  Hive 
walked  gravely  up  to  Sir  Mark,  whilst  the  mistress  applied  herself  to  the 
sister. 

"My  dear,  dear  Mrs.  Hamilton,"  she  said,  "you  must  rouse.  Don't 
take  on,  pray  don't;  you  mus'n't  sit  and  mope  —  there's  nothing  worse 
for  the  spirits.  You  must  employ  your  mind.  1  remember,  when  my  own 
poor  mother  died  I  could  n't  find  comfort  in  any  thing  till  I  took  to  polish- 
ing a  mahogany  tabl»>." 

"She  is  quite  right,"  said  Twi2<r,  to  the  brother,  in  the  same  serious  af- 
fectionate tone.  "My  dear  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel,  Baronet,  don't  encourage 
grieving  with  idleness.  Activity's  the  thinii  ;  sitting  with  your  hands  be- 
fore you  won't  do.  You  must  bustle  it  off.  Go  through  your  accounts 
with  your  stewurd.     Look  after  your  property." 


232  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  You  must  jaunt  about,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg  to  the  lady,  "and  pay  visits. 
Go  amoncr  all  your  friends  —  I  need  n't  name  the  Hive.  Go  every  where 
—  gad  about  —  the  more  the  better  —  and  by  and  by  you  '11  pick  up  again. 
Disperse  yourself  as  much  as  you  can." 

"  You  must  hunt  away,"  said  Twigg,  to  the  Baronet ;  "you  mus'  n't  give 
up  any  of  your  sportings.  They  '11  help  to  work  it  off  If  1  was  you,  vvIktq 
I  hunted  one  fox  afore,  I'd  hunt  two  or  three  at  once.  That's  the  way, 
says  you,  to  git  rid  of  trouble." 

"Living  low,"  said  Airs.  Twigg,  "  is  quite  a  mistake  —  it  always  pro- 
duces lowness.  Appetite's  every  thing;  force  yourself  to  eat;  humour 
your  stomach,  —  no  matter  how  trifling.  Get  cook  to  toss  you  up  every 
hour  in  the  day,  —  a  little  and  often," 

"Take  a  glass  extra,"  exhorted  Twigg;  "grief  sometimes  gives  way  to 
a  little  conviviality." 

"  Nobody  can  fret  long  upon  nothing,"  continued  Mrs.  Twigg  ;  "  good 
porter  is  very  supporting.  Taking  care  of  ourselves  for  our  own  sakes  is  a 
duty  to  others.  If  you  catch  yourself  thinking  of  your  two  nevies  —  have 
a  sweet-bread." 

"  You  must  forget  every  thing,'*  said  Twigg.  "  You  've  lost  both  your 
sons  in  a  very  shocking  way  —  and  you've  no  heir  of  your  own  to  your 
property.  There's  three  gone  witWn  a  very  few  years  —  the  Colonel,  and 
Ringwood,  and  Raby — but  you'd  be  wrong  in  recalling  ;  you  must  think 
of  them,  and  picture  them  to  yourself,  just  as  if  they  had  never  been  born." 

"Take  my  advice,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "don't  pine,  but  have  a  good  hearty 
cry  —  it's  the  most  relieving  thing  in  the  worlo  next  to  a  skreek.  Carry 
salts  about  you  to  sniff  at,  and  always  have  water  handy  in  case  your  head  'a 
inclined  to  swim." 

The  suffering  patients  listened  to  these  various  prescriptions  in  silence, 
with  sighs  and  shakos  of  the  head  ;  but  the  officious  couple  now  made  an 
offer  apiece  which  extorted  immediate  and  earnest  answers. 

"There's  nothing  worse,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "than  solitude  and  loneli- 
ness, except  its  darkness.  Burn  a  rushlight.  But  solitude  's  bad  too  ;  you 
mus'  n't  keep  yourself  to  yourself.  You  want  somebody  to  stir  you  up. 
The  more  gossipy  and  rackety  the  better  —  family  duties  won't  allow  my 
own  coming  to  stay  \vith  you,  but  there's  nothing  of  the  sort  to  prevent 
'Tilda  —  she'll  be  a  prop." 

"  Oh,  no,"  answered  Mrs.  Hamilton,  eagerly,  "  not  for  the  world,  you 
mus'  n't  think  of  it." 

"  Yes,  you'll  feel  a  great  change,"  said  Twigg  to  the  Baronet ;  "death 
makes  gaps  in  families  that  can't  be  filled  up  ;  you'll  miss  'em  sadly  when 
it  comes  to  being  alone.  It's  a  black  time  o'  the  year  for  the  business  — 
and  if  my  son,  T.,  junior,  would  be  society  for  a  bit,  let  him  come,  says 
you  —  and  he 's  down  by  return  of  post." 

"  No,  no,  no,"  said  the  Baronet,  decidedly  ;  "I'm  obliged  all  the  same, 
but  Kate  and  I  must  comfort  one  another,  the  rest  must  come  from  above." 

"  True,"  answered  Twigg,  "  religion  will  be  a  standing  article,  of  course 
—  and  Him  who  tempers  the  lambs  to  the  shorn  sheep  —  I  know  what  you 
mean,  says  you,  though  it's  not  quite  the  words.  God  bless  you.  Sir  Mark 
Tyrrel,  Baronet,"  —  and  they  shook  hands. 

"  God  bless  you,  my  dear,"  echoed  Mrs.  Twigg,  contriving  by  a  little 
jump  to  kiss  Mrs.  Hamilton,  "I'll  come  and  console  as  often  as  I  can  ;" 
and  the  two  comforters  departed,  perfectly  persuaded  that  they  had  light- 
ened the  inmates  of  the  house  of  mourn\ng  of  a  load  of  grief. 

It  was  not  till  the  carriage  had  rolled  out  of  the  avenue  into  the  high  road, 
aeyond  the  domains  of  the  Hall,  that  the  ambitious  couple  ventured  to 
«onmiunicate  to  each  other  the  mutual  thoughts  that  had  occupied  them 


TYLNET  HALL.  233 

during  the  day.  Twigs;  then  opened  his  mind  cautiously,  and  the  follow- 
ing colloquy  ensued  in  the  dark. 

"  AVell,  my  dear,  did  you  'jo  all  over  the  Hall!" 

"  I  did,  my  dear,  every  room  in  it." 

"Well?" 

"  All  very  good  and  substantial,  —  and  most  delightful  bed-rooms  ;  but 
there's  a  want  goes  all  through  the  house." 

"  And  what's  that,  madam  ?" 

*'  Oipboards,"  responded  Mrs.  Twigg,  to  whose  ideas  the  greatest  merit 
ot  a  dwelling-house  was  that  of  a  merchant-ship,  namely,  "  extensive  stow- 
age." 

•'  Cupboards  be  hanged  !     Did  you  see  the  cellars  ?" 

"  No,  my  dear,  but  I  did  the  butler's  pantry." 

"Well?" 

"  There's  mines,  Mr.  T. !  Heaps  upon  heaps  of  gold  and  silver  plate  ; 
not  all  filigree  and  open  work,  but  solid  and  massy.  Such  waiters !  such 
cups  !  such  dishes!  —  But  there's  one  thing  awkward." 

"What's  that,  madam?" 

"Why  they've  all  got  stags'  heads  on  'em,  and  ours  is  a  bee." 

"  Fiddlesticks,  madam." 

"  To  be  sure,  all  that  may  be  altered  and  eradicated  to  match.  We  can 
turn  the  bees  into  little  deers." 

"  If  you  please,  madam,  you'll  keep  your  fool's  tongue  in  your  head.  It 
ain't  as  if  we  were  in  possession.  I  would  n't  do  any  thing  undelicate  or 
premature,  except  between  ourselves." 

"To  be  sure  not,  Mr.  Twisg  ;  but  our  two  speculations  can't  hurt  any 
one's  feelinss  while  they  are  kept  primitive  to  orrrselves.  There's  no  harm, 
I  hope,  in  saying  one  prefers  the  Hall  to  the  Hive  ?" 

"  I  'II  tell  you  what,  madam,  if  the  Hall  comes  to  me  in  course  of  law,  1 
should  n't  decline.  But  if  not,  a  man  of  my  property,  says  you,  can  do  with- 
out it." 

"  It  must  be  owned,  Mr.  T.,  as  yet  it's  only  hearsay  about  Mr.  Walter 
Tyrrel's  being  lawfully  unbegotten  in  wedlock.  We've  no  one's  words 
for  it  but  our  son's,  that  he  heard  the  young  Squire  Ringwood  call  him  a 
bastard.  Not  that  the  Hall,  as  you  say,  is  exactly  what  one  would  wish. 
The  drawing-room  is  too  far  removed  from  the  servants :  you'd  never  know 
what's  going  on  in  the  kitcheJi." 

"D — n  it,  madam,  I  tell  you  we  ain't  come  in  yet ;  but  that's  always 
your  way,  blab,  blab,  blab,  —  Sir  Mark  ain't  dead  yet." 

"No,  but  he's  as  t_ood  —  and  so  as  one  don't  shorten  him,  there's  no 
harm  in  savin'  he'd  live  a  while  longer  if  he'd  give  more  vent  —  but  he  sets 
in  to  it,  and  he'll  be  gone  before  the  fall  of  the  leaf.  What's  the  she  to  Ba- 
ronet, if  you  come  into  the  title  ?" 

This  important  question  obtained  no  answer ;  not  that  Twigg  was  gone 
to  sleep,  for  he  was  wide  awake  to  his  own  interest  and  importance,  but  he 
happened  to  be  absorbed  in  a  double  calculation  of  the  chance  of  succeed- 
ing to  the  Justiceship,  which  Mr.  Rivers  wished  to  resign,  and  the  expense 
of  standing  for  the  county,  —  an  honour  Sir  Mark  Tyrrel  had  always  de- 
clined. His  partner  knew  better  tiian  to  disturb  him  at  such  moments  by 
repetitions,  and  the  rest  of  the  ride  passed  in  silence.  The  reader  will  easily 
conceive,  from  the  foregoing  dialogue,  that  the  sympathy  of  the  Twiggs 
with  th';  sorrows  of  the  day  had  not  been  without  alleviation  ;  indeed  the 
drift  of  some  injudieious  remarks  and  questions  on  tlin  part  of  the  lady,  had 
been  detected  I)y  th(!  suspicious  vigilance  of  St.  Kitts.  For  instance,  she 
condoled  with  him  on  the  sad  sliock  to  his  uncle,  who  could  not  possibly 
live  over  it,  —  and  what  a  loss  it  would  be  to  himself — especially  as  ho 
was  a  sort  of  orphan  :  and  then  she  made  some  very  particular  inquiries 


234  TYLNEY    HALL. 

about  his  mother.  She  hoped,  in  conclusion,  his  uncle  would  do  something 
ior  him  —  she  mc'anl  something  certain,  as  nobody  knew  who  mii^ht  start 
np  for  the  estates.  She  had  heard  a  talk,  she  said,  of  buying  him  a  com- 
mission in  the  army,  and,  as  a  friend,  she'd  advise  him,  under  present  pre- 
carious circumstances,  to  get  it  settled  as  soon  as  he  could.  It  was  very 
hard  parents'  sins  should  come  upon  their  children  —  but  so  it  was.  The 
Creole  winced  under  her  words:  anew  thorn  of  no  common  magnitude 
vyas  planted  in  his  side,  and  added  its  pangs  to  that  retributive  accumula- 
tion of  tormenting  doubts  and  fears  which  inevitably  attends  on  a  course 
of  crime. 

The  prognostic  of  Mrs.  Twigg  seemed  too  likely  to  be  verified.  The 
health  of  Sir  Mark  rapidly  declined,  partly  in  consequence  of  his  abandon- 
ment of  all  his  accustomed  field-sports,  nay,  his  daily  rides  even  were  dis- 
continued. Such  an  extreme  change  in  his  habits  would  alone  have  seri- 
ously affected  his  constitution,  if  it  had  not  been  broken  down  by  the  access 
of  violent  grief  and  the  subsequent  preying  of  his  mind  upon  itself,  for  he 
had  suffered  intensely  though  silently.  The  effect  was  that  of  premature 
old  age  ;  he  lost  his  vigour  and  activity,  his  appetite  and  his  sleep,  symp- 
toms beyond  the  power  of  medicine  to  remove,  although,  in  compliance 
with  his  sister's  wish,  he  placed  himself  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Bellamy. 
But  the  wound  was  incurable,  and  he  knew  it,  and  he  prepared  himself  to 
meet  his  end  with  the  manly  composure  that  belonged  to  his  character.  He 
considerately  made  all  his  worldly  arrangements,  which  were  marked  by 
his  usual  benevolence  and  rectitude,  and  thenceforward  his  earthly  thoughts 
rested  chiefly  on  the  Creole  ;  to  whom,  as  his  heir  and  successor,  he  gave 
much  excellent  advice  for  his  future  guidance.  In  this  mood,  he  one  day 
desired  the  company  of  St.  Kitts  to  the  kennel,  in  order  to  bestow  on  him 
the  fruits  of  his  own  experience  as  a  master  of  hounds.  But  he  had  miscal- 
culated his  own  strength ;  after  turning  the  key  he  retreated  from  the  door 
with  a  bewildered  look. 

"  I  cannot,"  he  said,  "  T  dare  not  —  every  hound  that  knows  me  knew 
him.  — But  mind  what  I  sa}',  look  to  'em  now  and  then  with  your  own  eyes 
—  Dick  is  one  of  the  trustiest,  but  we  none  of  us  perform  the  worse  for 
being  overlooked " 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  said  the  Creole;  "I  hope  the  day -is  far,  far  distant, 
when  they  will  want  my  inspection." 

"  No,  Walter  no,"  —  said  the  Baronet ;  "  I  'm  as  good  as  run  into  —  it 's 
a  si^n  I'm  sinking,  that  my  sorrows  are  so  mute  —  I  can't  help  talking  in 
the  style,  but  I  've  done  with  hounds  and  hunting  altogether.  One  more 
halloo,  and  you  have  heard  my  last."  — 

So  saying,  he  gave  a  weak  and  wavering  cry,  as  different  from  his  old 
jovial  shout  in  the  field,  as  the  utterance  of  a  ghost  might  be  supposed  in 
comparison  with  the  living  voice  —  all  his  bodily  energies  were  extinct. 

"  There,"  he  said,  "  do  you  think  hounds  would  be  cheered  by  such  a 
sound  as  that?  My  own  dogs  do  n't  answer  to  it  —  except  one  —  and  do 
ye  know  which  it  was  that  opened  ?" 

The  Creole  knew  well,  but  he  was  silent. 

"It  was  Dcathbell,  boy,  old  Deathbell,"  said  the  Baronet;  "one  of 
Warde's  deep  tolling  breed.  It's  may  be  a  warning,  but  I  do  n't  flinch  at 
it,  he  winds  nothing  more  than  I  do  myself.  My  head  runs  all  one  hne, 
and  that 's  to  where  all  my  hopes  are  gone  to  earth.  If  you  would  know 
where  to  have  me,  you  must  make  a  cast  towards  Tylney  Church." 

"My  dearest  uncle,"  said  the  Creole,  "  for  the  sake  of  those  who  sur- 
vive, you  ought  not  to  despond.  Time  is  a  cure  for  all  griefs,  and  the 
many  years  I  hope  you  have  yet  to  see " 

"  One  will  be  enough  for  me,"  answered  the  Baronet,  "and  that  is  in  its 
wane  ;  I'm  on  my  last  legs.     From  this  day  forward,  St.  Kitts,  look  on  the 


TYLNEY   HALL.  235 

pack  as  your  own,  keep  'em  up  as  a  master  should,  for  the  sake  of  the 
county  and  the  old  family  name.  Be  pleasant  to  the  farmers,  and  ware 
wheat ;  mind  and  preserve  hospitality.  You  '11  find  a  cellar  well  stocked. 
Bo  the  old  English  gentleman,  and  that  says  every  thing." 

"  This  is  too  painful,"  said  the  Creole;  "every  word  wrings  my  lieart." 
"Keep  on  all  my  servants,"  continued  the  Baronet,  without  attending  to 
the  other's  exclamation  ;  "do'nt  part  with  one  of  them  :  they  belong  to  a 
good  old  breed  that,  if  I  'm  not  mistaken,  is  wearing  out.  Is'ot  so  showy 
and  flourishing  may  be,  but  stanch  and  steady  to  their  work.  Stand  up  for 
Church  and  King,  and  be  kind  to  your  aunt  —  poor  Kate  !" 

"  Alas  !"  said  the  Creole,  "  this  is  dreadful,  every  word  is  a  farewell." 
"  Above  all,"  concluded  the  Baronet,  and  he  gave  every  word  a  distinct 
emphasis ;  "  remember,  Raby  was  innocent.  They  say  a  man  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  other  world  sees  clearer  than  common,  and  that  is  my  solemn 
view  of  it.  Keep  up  the  good  name  of  the  Tyrrels  as  well  as  the  estates, 
and  never  abide  a  blot  upon  the  'scutcheon,  or  a  mortgage  upon  the  land." 
These  were  almost  the  last  words  of  the  o:ood  Baronet.  The  next 
morning  he  was  found  in  his  bed,  stiff  and  cold,  in  an  attitude  that  showed 
he  had  been  towering  towards  Heaven,  as  the  wounded  bird  does,  before  he 
died.  The  marble  hands  were  piously  joined  like  those  of  a  Christian  knight 
on  an  old  monument ;  and  if  death  be  but  a  sleep,  according  to  Hamlet, 
implying  good  or  evil  dreams,  to  judge  by  the  placid  countenance,  the  de- 
parted spirit  had  rejoined  its  dearest  objects  in  that  happy  world,  M'here 
love  is  as  vital  an  element  as  the  atmosphere  we  breathe  in  this. 

Thus  fell  the  head  of  this  devoted  house  ;  the  last  main  obstacle  that  had 
interposed  between  the  Creole  and  his  guilty  object.  In  some  minds  such 
a  consummation  would  almost  incur  a  denial,  or,  at  least,  a  doubtino-,  of 
Providence,  looking  at  the  inequality  of  the  dispensation.  But  poetical 
justice  is  one  of  the  merest  fictions ;  and  consists,  as  the  term  imports, 
rather  with  Utopian  views  than  with  the  real  rugged  course  of  human  life. 
To  place  Virtue  or  Vice  in  one  scale,  and  an  adequate  portion  of  Good  or 
Evil,  as  reward  and  punishment  in  the  other,  may  produce  food  meet  for 
babes ;  but  the  picture  has  little  reference  to  the  true  course  of  events  in 
this  variegated  world,  where  the  base  and  bad  rejoice  and  revel  daily  in  the 
high  places,  whilst  excellence  mourns  in  the  dust.  Honesty  begs  for  bread, 
and  knavery  prospers,  adding  houses  to  houses,  and  land  to  land.  The 
just  suffer,  wliilst  the  unjust  judge  in  ermine.  Folly  rules,  and  wisdom 
pines  unheard.  Vanity  is  caressed  at  the  expense  of  genius,  —  and  sanc- 
timonious hypocrisy  tramples  on  humble  piety.  The  mortal  balance,  in- 
deed, preponderates  in  favour  of  the  wicked.  It  follows  necessarily,  that 
the  unscrupulous  man,  who  justifies  all  means  by  the  end,  and  rejects  nei- 
ther fraud  nor  cruelty  when  they  conduce  to  his  purpose,  must  arrive  more 
f -equently,  and  by  a  shorter  path,  at  his  object,  than  the  conscientious  one 
who  will  not  strain  a  principle  or  deviate  one  step  from  the  line  of  rectitude. 
Thus  wealth,  power,  and  worldly  honour,  are  apt  to  become  the  prizes  of 
the  crafty  and  the  violent,  the  corrupt  and  the  depraved  ;  the  swindler,  the 
perjurer,  and  the  tamperer  with  blood.  Hence,  such  anomalous  awards  as 
the  traitor's  death  to  the  patriot,  the  felon's  imprisonment  to  the  honest 
debtor,  and  persecution  and  poverty  to  a  benefactor  of  mankind.  The 
cluld,  however,  is  taught  by  his  copy-book  that  "  Virtue  is  its  own  Reward," 
and  evry  volume  in  his  juvenile  library  not  only  inculcates  the  sanu^  prin- 
ciple, but  holds  out  a  direct  promise  of  an  equitable  adjustment  in  this 
wor!(l,  which  is  only  to  he  looked  for  in  another:  an  alisurd  system,  by 
which,  instead  of  being  fcjrearmed  and  forewarned  by  a  practical  prospect 
of  the  trials  to  com  >,  th«;  good  boy  grows  up  a  good  man,  and  is  astonished 
and  disgusted  to  find  himself,  instead  of  being  even  a  silver-gilt  Whitting- 
ton,  a  contemned  object,  walking  the  world  barefoot  and  penniless,  with  the 


236  TYLNEY    HALL. 

reward  of  Virtue  hanging  upon  his  neck,  in  the  likeness  of  one  of  those  tin 
or  powtor  medals  of  merit  that  used  to  decorate  him  at  his  academy.  This 
is  an  evil  in  our  literature  that  demands  correction:  as  our  preparatory 
schooling  is  chiefly  derived  from  the  writin^fs  and  the  teaching  of  the  female 
sex,  it  would  be  well  if  the  schoolmistress  would  go  abroad  wilh  the  school- 
master, and  pick  up  some  principle  of  conduct  for  youth,  superior  to  the 
servile,  selfish  one  of  the  puppy,  who  is  conscious  of  the  breaker  behind 
his  heels,  with  a  dog- whip  in  one  hand,  and   a  piece  of  liver  in  the  other. 

Events  sometimes  crowd  so  closely  upon  each  other's  heels,  that  the  pen 
of  the  historian  must  adopt  a  similar  pace.  Briefly  then,  the  tomb  again 
yawned,  and  again  it  closed,  having  in  one  short  month,  received  three 
kindred  corses,  and  the  Creole  found  himself  invested  with  the  title  of 
Baronet,  and  in  possession  of  the  vast  estates  of  Tylney  Hall.  He  did  not 
enjoy  this  accession  undisturbed.  The  Twiggs,  as  he  had  foreseen,  carno 
forward  and  disputed  the  validity  of  his  clairn;  but  a  perusal  of  the  will, 
and  the  marriage  certificate  of  Colonel  Tyrrel  with  Indiana  Thurot,  ef- 
fectually dissipated  the  hopes  of  the  Ex-SheriffJ  who  abruptly  departed  with 
his  helpmate,  venting  execrations  in  the  bitterness  of  their  defeat  on  the 
innocent  mansion  they  had  coveted,  the  lady  loudly  declaring,  as  she  step- 
ped from  the  threshold,  that  she  would  never  —  never — never  set  foot  in  its 
odious  doors  any  more. 

With  something  of  a  kindred  resolution,  Mrs.  Hamilton  left  the  HaH 
shortly  after  the  funeral,  with  the  ostensible  purpose  of  residing  for  a  while 
at  Hawksley,  for  the  sake  of  the  companionship  of  her  adopted  daughter, 
Grace  Rivers,  but  in  reality  because  she  could  not  endure  to  remain  an  in- 
mate of  the  house  since  it  became  the  property  of  her  nephew.  His  ill- 
disguised  exultation  had  not  escaped  her  notice  ;  his  dismissal  of  some  of 
the  oldest  servants,  contrary  to  his  uncle's  express  injunction,  excited  her 
indignation  ;  and  the  haughty  bearing  he  suddenly  assumed,  in  striking 
contrast  to  his  adulation  of  herself,  seemed  to  justify  the  personal  antipathy 
she  had  preconceived  towards  him.  She  even  began  to  entertain  vague 
suspicions  with  which  she  hardly  dared  to  trust  herself,  and  the  frankness 
of  her  nature  would  not  allow  her  to  profess  afTcction  where  she  felt  dislike, 
or  to  pretend  to  confidence  where  she  entertained  nothing  but  jealousy  and 
mistrust.  In  spite,  therefore,  of  the  most  urgent  remonstrances  and  the 
warmest  protestations  from  St.  Kitts,  who  represented  himself  as  one  who 
would  be  totally  bereaved  by  her  absence,  she  persisted  in  her  course,  and 
the  wheels  of  the  Justice's  carriage,  as  they  rolled  away  with  her,  became 
wheels  of  torture  to  the  Creole,  or,  as  he  must  now  be  called,  Sir  Walter. 

"There  she  goes,  curse  her,"  he  muttered  between  his  teeth,  "to  sow  the 
seeds  of  her  own  infernal  doubts  and  fancies  in  the  mind  of  Grace:  she 
hates  me,  I  know  she  does,  and  my  love  in  that  quarter  is  as  likely  to  thrive 
by  her  countenance  as  a  peach  under  a  north  wall." 

To  the  Scotchwoman,  who  accompanied  her  mistress,  the  change  was 
equally  desirable  :  educated  in  the  serious  and  somewhat  rigid  religious 
principles  of  her  country,  she  criticised  with  proportionate  alarm  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  new  master  of  the  house,  who  had  gradually  imbibed  some 
of  the  skeptical  notions  of  his  foster-mother.  As  men  are  apt  in  such  cases, 
he  sought  to  reconcile  himself  to  his  infraction  of  the  divine  laws,  by  dis- 
puting their  authority.  Accordingly,  to  the  great  horror  of  Tibbie,  he  dis- 
continued the  family  devotions,  in  which,  agreeable  to  old  practice.  Sir  Mark 
and  his  domestics  had  met  and  mingled  in  their  petitions  and  thanksgivings 
to  the  throne  of  grace  ;  nor  did  Sir  Walter,  like  his  predecessor,  attend 
punctually  at  the  parish  church  on  each  sabbath,  to  join  in  the  responses 
with  sonorous  emphasis,  or  receive  the  pastor's  final  benediction  with  a  de- 
vout amen.  In  leaving  such  a  house,  the  Sctotchwoman  conceived  she  was 
but  opportunely  flying  from  the  wratli  to  come  :  from  a  roof  that  trembled 


TYLNEY   HALL.  237 

over  her  head,  walls  that  tottered  round  her,  and  chimneys  that  attracted  the 
lightning  of  heaven.  Others  of  the  domestics  adopted  her  views,  though 
perhaps  with  more  of  temporalleaven,  and  gave  warning.  Amongst  others 
old  Deborah,  who,  in  spite  of  her  age  and  her  asthma,  still  breathed,  if  breath- 
ing it  inisj;ht  be  called,  declared  her  determination  of  leaving  a  home  where 
she  had  been  born  and  bred.  Like  some  other  great  men,  the  Creole  found 
that  he  had  acquired  power  without  popularity. 

The  Squire  went  a  step,  or  rather  a  stride,  beyond  Mrs.  Hamilton,  in  his 
disgust  and  his  suspicions  ;  he  would  have  been  displeased  with  an  angel  for 
filling  a  station  which  Ringwood  ou2,ht  to  have  occupied,  but  he  had  always 
regarded  the  Creole  as  in  part  a  devil,  and  he  now  looked  upon  him  and 
loathed  him,  as  a  fiend  incarnate.  He  hated,  as  he  had  loved,  exclusively, 
'*  with  all  his  heart,  with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his  strength."  He  would 
have  hunted  the  wide  world  over  for  a  rival  heir,  and  he  would  have  sup- 
ported a  plausible  claim  to  the  utmost  extent  of  his  purse  ;  and  in  this  ob- 
ject he  was  soon  gratified.  Some  manuscript  verses  on  the  death  of  Ring- 
wood  had  been  privately  circulated  amongst  the  gentry  of  the  neigbour- 
hood  ;  but  whilst  every  body  admired  the  exquisite  tenderness  of  the 
sentiment,  the  novelty  and  the  beauty  of  the  imagery,  and  the  fine  Miltonic 
flow  and  harmony  of  the  versification,  few  cared  to  inquire  earnestly  into  the 
authorship.  But  it  was  otherwise  with  Squire  Ned  :  the  subject  rendered  it 
to  him  a  prize  poem  of  all  that  had  ever  been  written  since  Homer,  and 
with  that  unwearied  dogged  pertinacity  of  purpose  which  distinguished  him, 
he  tasked  himself  to  discover  the  writer,  and  by  dint  of  sagacity  and  per- 
severance, he  at  last  traced  the  production  to  that  ragged  troubadour  "  Tom 
m  Tatters."  The  vagabond  minstrel  was  immediately  asked  to  the  Cottage, 
an  invitation  which  was  several  times  dechned  ;  and  it  was  only  by  a  stra- 
tagem at  last  that  the  Squire  obtained  an  interview  with  the  eccentric  poet. 
The  latter,  when  taxed  with  the  composition  of  the  elegy,  frankly  admitted 
it,  and  confessed  his  gratification  that  it  proved  so  acceptable  to  the  feelings 
of  one  whose  devoted  attachment  to  the  subject  of  the  lament  was  so  uni- 
versally acknowledged.  Beyond  this  avowal,  the  Squire  could  obtain  no 
"mformation  from  his  guest,  whose  superior  manners  and  polished  diction, 
nevertheless,  evinced  a  marvellous  discrepancy  between  his  private  charac- 
ter and  his  public  habits.  The  tattered  one,  however,  sedulously  avoided 
any  allusion  to  his  former  life  or  his  earlier  pursuits  ;  and  it  was  only  after 
several  bottles  of  Madeira  had  been  broached,  and  when  the  treacherous 
propensity  to  drink  had  betrayed  the  stranger  beyond  his  self-command,  that 
he  entered  upon  his  own  history.  He  had  been  educated,  he  said,  at  the 
University,  but  some  Bacchanalian  orgies  with  a  parly  in  low  life,  which  he 
had  entered  into  with  a  view  to  the  study  of  human  nature,  had  led  to  his 
disgraceful  expulsion  from  college.  It  had,  unfortunately,  escaped  his  recol- 
lection that  such  classes  were  not  comprised  in  the  course  of-humanity  pre- 
scribed by  Alma  Mater,  who  accordingly  cast  him  from  her  bosom,  branded 
as  a  reprobate  son,  that  she  rejected  for  ever.  The  tears  streamed  down 
his  cheeks  during  the  recital,  but  his  sighs  amounted  almost  to  groans,  as 
he  described  the  progress  of  his  subsequent  aegradation. 

"  And  now  here  I  am,"  he  concluded  ;  "I  was  ranked  with  beasts,  and 
I  hav^  degenerated  to  suit  their  classification.  I  am  as  they  described  me, 
genius  and  species,  a  sot — a  vagabond  —  an  abject  dependant — a  disgrace 
to  society  —  a  burden  to  others  and  to  myself.  I  dreamed  once  I  was  des- 
tined for  better  things  ;  but  the  best  I  now  hope  is,  at  the  first  fine  holyday 
the  schoolboys  will  go  shouting  and  capering  after  the  pauper  funeral  of 
•  Tom  in  Tatters.'  " 

With  these  words  the  unfortunate  student  jumped  hastily  up,  intending 
to  make  a  precipitate  retreat,  but  he  happened  to  be  in  Ned's  panoramic 
parlour,  and  he  could  not  discover  the  door;  he  had  no  remedy,  therefore 
8—3 


238  TVLNEY   HALT.. 

but  to  await  the  Squire's  pleasure,  who  by  his  odd,  yet  honest  and  hearty 
expics^ions  of  sympathy,  at  last  prevailed  upon  the  poor  fellow  to  compose 
himself.  Thny  resumed  their  drinking,  and  towards  midnight,  in  tie 
warmth  of  his  heart,  the  outcast  communicated  to  his  new  friend,  that  he 
waa  a  aescendant  of  the  old  intimate  of  Ned,  Sir  Theophilus  Tyrrel,  who 
had  been  ''cleaned  out  upon  the  turf."'-  The  announcement  upset  ail  the 
Squire's  recent  apathy  towards  the -human  race:  he  jumped  up,  and  ac- 
tually hugged  his  informant,  at  some  risk  to  his  dilapidated  garments  ;  for, 
like  the  bereaved  Macduff,  he  thought  he  had  found  the  Malcolm  undei 
whose  banner  he  was  to  do  vengeance  on  the  bloody  Thane.  The  night 
was  passed  in  questions  and  mutual  deliberation,  and  the  morning  saw  the 
Squire,  mounted  upon  Barney,  on  his  way  to  the  Hall,  in  order  to  give  Sir 
Walter  the  nuts  to  crack  which  he  had  gathered  from  the  genealogical  tree 
of  "  Tom  in  Tatters." 


CHAPTER  XL. 

Come  hither,  boy,  come  hither  to  my  arms  ; 
Have  I  not  plotted  rarely  ?  Nay,  how  's  this  ; 
You  stare  affrighted  at  the  touch  of  joy, 
As  if  it  were  the  worst,  extremest  wo. 
No  word,  no  sound,  no  stir,  not  ev'n,  alas  ! 
A  smile  to  tell  me,  "  Mother,  I  am  glad." 


ROXANA. 


If  in  this  exile  dark  and  drear 
To  which  my  fate  has  doomed  me  now, 
I  should  unnoticed  die  —  what  tear. 
What  tear  of  sympathy,  will  flow  ? 
For  I  have  sought  an  exile's  wo, 
And  fashion'd  my  own  misery  : 
Who  then  will  pity  me  ? 

Spanish  Romances. 

Amoniist  the  many  causes  of  disquietude  which  beset  the  mind  of  the 
new  Baronet  were  two  of  peculiar  interest  and  importance,  namely,  an  un- 
usual absence  of  his  foster-mother,  and  the  total  silence  of  Woodley.  In 
spite  of  his  numerous  rides  and  walks  for  the  purpose,  he  had  never  been 
able  to  meet  with  Marguerite  since  the  interview  which  preceded  the  disco- 
very of  the  drowned  body  of  his  kinsman,  and  her  peremptory  and  repeated 
mjunctions  deterred  him  from  avaihng  himself  of  the  secret  of  her  lonely 
abode.  She  ought  naturally  to  have  come  forward  with  her  congratulations 
to  him  on  the  success  of  her  predictions  ;  and  with  his  anxious  tempera- 
ment, to  doubt  was  to  fear,  and  every  delay  seemed  a  new  danger.  On  the 
other  hand,  all  hough  the  fate  of  Raby  had  become  a  certainty,  he  could  not 
help  wondering  that  his  correspondent  in  St.  James's  Street  had  not  written 
to  inform  him  of  the  non-arrival  of  the  intended  victim.  But  the  reason  of 
the  omission  was  furnished  to  him  from  an  .unexpected  source. 

As  he  sat  at  breakfast,  carelessly  glancing  over  the  columns  of  a  mor- 
ning journal,  his  eye  was  suddenly  attracted.by  the  words,  "  Fatal  Duel  — 
death  of  Peter  Woodley,  Esq. ;"  and  a  few  following  lines  informed  him, 
that  the  gentleman  in  question  had  been  run  through  the  body  at  a  hostile 
meeting,  which  originated  in  a  dispute  at  dice.  The  paper  dropped  from 
his  hand,  and  a  cold  shiver  ran  through  his  frame,  as  he  learned  the  sudden 
cutting  oflT  of  his  companion  in  former  villanies :  without  knowmg  why, 
he  associated  the  catastrophe  with  a  secret  misgiving,  that  his  own  exit 
would  be  of  a  violent  nature  ;  and  the  presentiment  to  which  the  paragraph 
gave  birtli,  from  that  hour  never  deserted  him.  He  was  still  lalounng 
under  the  agitation  which  the  tragical  news  had  excited,  when  the  Squire 


TYLNEY    HAr.L.  239 

was  announced,  and  the  personage  who  entered,  and  the  unusual  early 
hour  of  the  \nsit,  contributed  to  his  discomposure.  In  fact,  he  stammered 
so  in  his  welcome,  that  he  felt  compelled  to  apologize. 

''  I  got  up  a  little  out  of  sorts,"  he  said,  "  with  my  nerves  unsettled  ; 
and  they  have  just  been  still  farthei  disturbed  by  reading  in  the  paper  the 
fall  of  an  old  college  chum  m  a  duel." 

"  Woodley,  eh!"  said  the  Squire,  who  had  perused  the  same  journal ; 
"served  him'  right;  —  got  punished  for  cogging:  — know  the  fellow  that 
settled  him." 

"It's  a  deplorable  case,"  said  the  Creole,  "  in  all  its  bearings ;  but  gam- 
bler, as  I  believe  he  was,  one  must  be  shocked  at  his  being  called  to  his 
account  so  unexpectedly." 

"Nobody  doubts,"  answered  the  Squire.  "When  the  devil  dies  he'll 
have  a  chief  mourner." 

"  Mr.  Somerville,"  answered  the  Creole,  as  calmly  as  he  could,  "  I  can 
allow  tor  your  known  ascetic  temper,  or  such  an  expression  would  excite 
my  serious  displeasure.  But  I  have  observed  with  regret  a  kind  of  per- 
sonal pique  towards  me  in  particular,  unconscious  as  I  am  of  any  intentional 
cause  of  offence,  ever  since  the  lamentable  death  of " 

"  Hold  hard  !"  exclaimed  the  Squire  ;  "  do  n't  name  him  ;  —  come  to 
that  by  and  by!"  and  the  speaker  was  evidently  suppressing  passions 
which  might  have  prompted  him  to  some  act  of  violence.  But  he  mastered 
the  impulse,  and  commenced  an  address,  contrary  to  his  usual  style,  in  a 
deep,  deliberate  tone,  without  clipping  off  the  pronouns, 

"  You  are  now  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel,  and  the  landlord  of  half  the  parish. 
It  was  a  great  stake,  and  you  stood  upon  a  lucky  horse  when  you  backed 
the  black  one  with  a  long  tail  and  a  head  full  of  feathers.  But  perhaps  you  are 
not  so  fast  in  the  saddle  as  you  think  ;  and  I  have  got  a  stiff  fence  or  two 
for  you  to  get  over.  A  change  may  come.  Here  you  are  in  high  keep  at 
rack  and  manger  ;  but  you  may  find  yourself  some  day  turned  out  to  grass 
like  Brown  Bastard." 

"  I  understand  your  last  allusion,  sir,"  said  the  Creole,  his  lips  quivering 
with  passion,  "  and  it  points  out  to  me  the  drift  of  your  discourse.  I  pre- 
sume the  question  of  my  legitimacy  is  to  be  again  agitated  ?" 

*  Right  —  you 've  hit  on  it,"  answered  the  Squire  ;  "so  give  tongue  at 
once,  and  I'll  hark  to  you." 

"  I  should  have  thought,"  answered  Sir  Walter,  "  that  the  decision  Mr. 
Twigg  came  to  would  have  satisfied  every  one  upon  the  point  you  have 
come,  I  must  say  unnecessarily,  to  discuss.  I  might  reasonably  urge  the 
painful  nature  of  the  subject  as  an  excuse  for  declining  to  enter  into  it 
afresh  :  but,  in  consideration  of  your  standing  as  a  friend  of  the  family,  I 
shall  make  no  objection  to  your  seeing  the  documents." 

"  Not  I,"  answered  the  Squire,  hastily,  and  falling  into  his  old  manner ; 
*'  can't  judge  —  out  of  my  line  —  forgeries  may  be." 

The  Creole  winced,  for  the  words  had  struck  upon  one  of  his  own  mis- 
givings ;  but  he  struggled  to  maintain  his  composure,  and  addressed  the 
Squire  with  an  air  of  lofty  indifference. 

"  May  I  presume  to  ask,  sir,  on  whose  behalf  you  are  so  much  interested 
as  to  forget  the  ordinary  rules  of  good  manners  ?" 

"  ?vlanners  will  mend,"  answered  Ned  sharply;  "wish  some  matters 
coidd  b^  mended  too.     Mayhap  you  have  heard  of  Tom  Tatters  ?" 

A  scornful  laugh  burst  from  Sir  Walter  at  the  idea  of  the  rugged  itine- 
rant setting  up  as  a  candidate  for  the  hereditary  honours  and  possessions 
of  the  house  of  Tyrrel,  and  he  received  with  a  sneer  of  pity  the  paper  that 
was  tendered  to  him,  whereon  the  Squire  liad  traced  with  his  own  hand  a 
sort  of  tree  in  illustration  of  the  pedigree  of  his  protegee.  It  was,  how- 
ever, made  out  with  so  much  of  the  phraseology  of  the  stud-book  —  Dam, 


240  TYLNfiY   HALL. 

Somebody ;  Grandam,  Somebody  else ;  by  Such-a-one  out  of  So-and-so 
—  that  the  Creole  was  some  time  in  picking  out  its  meaning. 

"  All  ])lain  enough,"  said  Ned,  jealous  of  the  character  of  his  perform- 
ance ;  "  don't  want  speUing  over:  first,  old  Theophilus  ;  tlien  two  sons, 
Theodore  and  Timothy.  Twigg  conies  from  Timothy,  and  tattered  Tom 
from  Theodore,  the  eldest  branch." 

"I  will  grant  you  all  your  branches  and  Twiggs  to  boot,"  answered 
Sir  Walter,  coolly.  "But  now  condescend  to  view  the  other  side  of  the 
tree.  Listen  :  Rupert  was  the  elder  brother  of  Theophilus.  From  Ru- 
pert, Mark  ;   and  my  father  was  Sir  Mark's  only  brother " 

*'  There,  pull  up,"  said  Ned.  "Remember  the  bend  sinister  ; -^  might; 
be  the  wrong  side  of  the  blanket." 

"  That  question,  if  you  would  be  so  rash  as  to  moot  it,  must  be  tried  at 
law,"  answered  Sir  Walter,  contemptuously  ;  and,  with  an  insolent  parade 
of  his  toothpick,  he  rose  from  the  table,  and  sauntered  to  the  window. 

The  Squire's  one  eye  glistened  like  a  red-hot  coal.  "Law,  eh!"  he 
said:  "civil  or  criminal?  or,  mayhap,  both  at  once? — Soon  see.  Good 
bye  to  Sir  Walter!"  he  added  significantly,  as  he  reached  the  door,  which, 
after  a  long  withering  frown,  like  that  of  Byron's  Corsair,  he  closed  be- 
hind him  with  a  sudden  slam. 

The  Creole,  in  spite  of  his  affected  indifference,  was  ill  at  ease :  the  de- 
termined inveterate  character  of  the  Squire  assured  him  that  the  new  claim, 
however  preposterous  and  unfounded,  would  be  brought  forward,  and  pro- 
secuted with  all  possible  pertinacity,  necessarily  involving  a  heavy  ex- 
pense, and  an  infinite  deal  of  personal  trouble,  annoyance,  and  mortifi- 
cation. 

"That  maimed  paw  is  lucky  for  him,"  he  muttered.  "If  he  could  hold 
a  sword,  I  might  try  my  skill  at  fence  on  him  ;  and  it  could  not  be  fleshed 
to  better  purpose.  Bullets  are  out  of  the  question:  he's  a  candle-snuffer 
with  the  pistol  in  his  left  hand." 

He  was  absorbed  in  a  calculation  of  the  probable  steps  that  would  be 
taken  by  the  tattered  candidate  and  his  patron,  and  devising  some  scheme 
for  avoiding  the  public  spectacle  of  so  ridiculous  a  contest,  when  a  servant 
presented  a  httle  billet  to  his  hand,  the  thrilling  contents  of  which  instantly 
banished  the  recent  occurrence  from  liis  thoughts.  There  were  only  two 
words  in  it ;  but  those  words  were  "  Hennessey's  Hut."  His  hand  was 
at  the  bell-rope  to  order  his  horse,  when  he  recollected  that  the  hut  referred 
to  \  as  situated  in  an  intricate  wood,  of  difficult  access  even  on  foot.  Un- 
luckily, it  lay  between  the  Hall  and  Hollington  ;  and,  in  spite  of  his  in- 
tense impatience,  he  was  compelled  to  delay  his  departure,  for  ftar  of  being 
observed  and  followed  by  the  suspicious  Squire,  whose  road  lay  in  the  same 
direction.  As  soon  as  prudence  allowed,  he  set  out,  at  the  pace  of  a  pe- 
destrian in  training  for  a  match  against  time  ;  and,  in  a  comparatively 
short  space,  he  found  himself  on  the  verge  of  the  dense  wood  which  enve- 
loped his  foster-mother's  retreat.  Nobody  but  a  man  impelled  by  as  strong 
a  motive,  or  an  ardent  sportsman,  would  have  strangled  far  into  such  a 
wilderness  ;  —  path  there  was  little  or  none  ;  it  had  been  so  overgrown  by 
briers  —  so  interlaced,  that  the  passage  was  slow  and  painful.  In  some 
places  the  trees  arched  overhead,  to  an  almost  utter  exclusion  of  the  li^rht 
of  day ;  in  others  they  started  asunder,  and  suffered  the  sunbeam  to  visit 
the  damp  earth,  that  smelt  noisomely  of  the  rotting  or  rotted  leaves  of  past 
seasons.  The  Creole's  hands  were  filled  with  thorns,  from  eagerly  tearing 
asunder  the  obstacles  to  his  progress  ;  and  he  was  dabbled  up  to  the  waist 
by  the  wet  underwood  through  which  he  rushed,  while  the  features  of  the 
place  became  more  savage  and  dreary  as  he  approached  the  dwelling  sup- 
posed to  be  haunted  by  the  spirit  of  the  murdered  keeper.  Several  times 
the  disturbed  adder  darted  across  the  path,  and  the  iron  tolling  of  the  raven 


TYLNEY    HALL.  241 

broke  harshly  and  ominously  upon  the  silence.  The  trees  increased  in 
size,  and  wreathed  fanlastically  in  more  distorted  attitudes,  whilst  the  huge 
gnarled  roots  protruded  here  and  there  from  the  soil,  hke  the  bones  of  ante- 
diluvian monsters.  No  other  woman  than  Marguerite  could  have  selected 
such  a  dreary  spot  for  her  residence  ;  indeed,  it  seemed  to  acquire  more 
than  mascuhne  nerve  and  courage  to  contend  with  all  its  horrors,  natural 
and  superstitious.  The  hut  stood  in  a  small  open  plot,  near  the  centre  of 
the  wood  ;  it  was  a  sort  of  log-house,  like  those  in  the  back  settlements 
or  North  America,  and  had  been  constructed  at  the  whim  of  a  fanciful  re- 
cluse, named  Hennes'^ev,  who,  however,  made  up  his  quarrel  with  the 
world  after  a  year's  residence.  It  then  became  the  abode  of  the  unfortu- 
nate keeper,  whose  violent  death,  but  for  Marguerite's  resolution,  would 
have  left  it  untenanted  for  ever.  It  consisted  of  two  rooms,  which  were 
divided  by  a  partition  of  lath  and  clay,  whereon  the  stain  of  blood  was  still 
visible.  The  outer  door  had  been  shivered  by  the  ruffians  who  perpetrated 
the  savage  deed,  and  had  never  been  replaced,  so  that  the  Creole  stepped 
into  the  house  without  knocking.  The  voice  of  Marguerite  saluted  him 
immediately  from  the  inner  chamber,  desiring  him  to  sit  down  on  the  chest 
till  she  had  completed  her  dressing.  The  prescribed  seat  was  a  sort  of 
large  sea  chest,  and  was  the  only  furniture  of  the  room,  except  an  old 
hogshead,  which  served  for  a  table.  On  the  top  of  this  convenience,  how- 
ever, stood  a  teapot,  and  cup  and  sauce  •  of  antique  china,  which,  to  a  vir- 
tuoso in  that  brittle  ware,  would  have  been  inestimable;  a  solitary  silver 
spoon  lay  beside  the  teapot,  but  it  was  of  the  most  massive  form  and 
richest  workmanship.  These  were  the  only  objects  in  the  room,  and  the 
C:eolehad  leisure  to  gaze  and  wonder  at  them  till  he  was  weary.  It 
seemed  as  if  his  wayward  foster-mother  intended  to  make  a  trial  of  his 
patience.  To  add  to  his  disquiet,  he  fancied  that  his  ear  detected  a  whis- 
per in  the  adjoining  room  ;  and,  however  unlikely  the  supposition  that 
Marguerite  could  have  a  companion,  it  seemed  to  make  every  minute  an 
age  till  she  appeared.  At  last,  when  his  temper  was  on  the  point  of  giving 
way,  the  door  of  the  inner  chamber  suddenly  opened,  and  a  figure  pre- 
sented itself  that  fixed  him  breathless  to  his  seat. 

It  was  Marguerite  —  not  in  the  squalid  attire  of  the  wandering  queen  of 
the  gipsies,  but  in  the  rich  splendid  costume  of  an  oriental  princess. 

She  wore  a  short  robe  of  carnation  satin,  descending  nearly  to  the  knee, 
where  it  finished  with  a  rich  gold  fringe.  Underneath  this  tunic  was  a 
white  satin  petticoat,  elegantly  embroidered  ;  full  trousers  of  the  same  ma- 
terial were  fastened  close  above  the  ankle  so  as  to  set  off"  its  symmetry,  and 
her  slippers,  in  colour,  matched  her  tunic.  Her  waist  was  circled  by  a 
broad  zone,  fastened  in  front  bv  a  diamond  clasp,  and  the  flowing  sleeves 
of  the  robe  were  looped  up  at  mid-arm  by  clusters  of  the  same  jewels.  The 
vmder  sleeves,  of  a  gossamer  texture,  were  confined  at  the  wrists  by  mas- 
sive bracelets  of  pure  gold,  and  every  taper  finger  of  her  well-formed  hand 
glitter(;d  with  one  or  more  jewelled  rings.  On  her  head  she  wore  a  turban 
of  a  singular  but  becommg  form,  the  material  of  which  it  was  composed 
being  one  of  those  Indian  many-coloured  shawls  which  arc  always  so  pictu- 
resque. The  bosom  was  covered,  but  not  concealed,  by  the  same  delicafe 
muslin  as  the  under-sleeves,  and  her  throat  was  encircled  by  a  collar  of  gold 
to  match  the  bracelets.  Altogether  it  was  apparently  the  costume  of  no  parti- 
i  ular  nation,  but  a  fancy  dress  adopted  at  the  suggestion  of  her  own  taste. 

She  smiled  at  witnessing  the  astonishment  of  the  Creole,  and  for  a  while 
enjoyed  his  admiration  in  silence. 

''  Well,  Sir  Walter,"  she  said  at  last,  in  a  tone  of  suppressed  triumph, 
**  uhat  do  you  think  of  me?" 

*'  1  have  seldom  seen  any  thing,"  answered  the  Creole,  with  his  eyea 
fixed  like  a  man  taliung  in  his  sleep  —  "  no,  I  have  never  seen  any  thing  so 
rich  and  tasteful." 

L 


242  TYLNEY   HALL. 

"  I  asked  the  question,  Sir  Walter,"  she  said,  "chiefly  with  reference  to 
my  poor  self;"  and  she  remained  standing  before  him  in  an  attitude  well 
chosen  for  the  display  of  a  still  graceful  Hgure. 

The  Creole  was  a  warm  admirer  of  beauty,  and  although  years  and  ex- 
posure, and  perhaps  sorrow,  had  taken  off"  the  lustre  of  her  cliarms,  they 
had  not  much  quenched  the  brilliancy  of  Marguerite's  jet  black  eyes,  nor 
destroyed  the  fine  contour  of  her  countenance.  Neither  had  her  shape  so  lost 
its  symmetry  but  that  the  eye  could  still  recognise  the  original  excellence 
of  the  mould.  Enough  remained  both  of  form  and  face  to  prove  that,  at 
one  time,  she  must  have  been  amongst  the  most  lovely  and  fascinating  of 
her  sex.     He  answered  her  in  an  animated  tone, 

"I  think  it  is  a  pity  Time  did  not  stand  still  when  he  had  such  an  object 
to  gaze  upon." 

She  was  charmed  with  this  flattering  reply,  which  addressed  itself  to  her 
weakest  point;  her  eyes  glistened,  and  exclaiming  that  she  had  forgotten 
to  congratulate  him  on  his  new  title,  she  advanced  hastily  and  clasped  him 
in  a  fond  embrace.  She  held  him  in  her  arms  so  long  and  so  closely,  that 
it  required  almost  a  struggle  on  the  part  of  the  Creole  to  free  himself,  and 
get  upon  his  feet.  He  then  offered  her  the  vacant  seat,  but  she  motioned  to 
him  to  sit  down  again,  while  from  the  inner  room  she  fetched  a  rude  chair, 
in  which  she  placed  herself  full  in  front  of  her  foster-son. 

"  And  now,  Marguerite,"  inquired  the  latter,  "  will  you  inform  me  of 
the  purport  of  this  Sultana  presence,  at  which  I  still  stare  and  wonder  as  if 
I  were  dreaming  with  my  eyes  open,  like  Abon- Hassan,  in  the  Arabian 
Nights?" 

"  What  does  it  mean,"  answered  Marguerite,  with  a  smile,  "  but  that  I 
am  going  to  resume  my  station  in  society  ?  Such  as  you  see  me  now,  ex- 
cept that  I  was  younger  and  more  blooming,  I  was  once  every  day  of  the 
week.  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  has  never  invited  me,  but  I  am  going  back  with 
him  to  the  Hall  that  is  now  his  own  !" 

"  To  the  Hall!"  echoed  the  Creole. 

"  Yes,  to  the  Hall,"  answered  Marguerite,  "where  .should  a  mother 
seek  her  home  but  in  the  house  of  her  son  ?" 

*'  Of  her  son?"  repeated  the  Creole. 

"  Of  her  son,"  reiterated  Marguerite.  "  Oh,  Walter!  what  heart  but  a 
mother's  could  have  gone  through  what  mine  has  for  your  sake  ?  But  com- 
pose yourself,  Walter,  compose  yourself  as  I  do,  for  I  ana  afraid  of  my  own 
happiness." 

The  Creole  made  no  reply.  He  gasped  for  breath,  and  would  have  re- 
coiled but  for  the  wall  at  his  back,  to  which  he  seemed  fixed  as  motion- 
less as  a  figure  upon  a  frieze.  He  was  stunned  and  petrified  by  the 
blow. 

"  Walter,  dearest  Walter,  speak  to  me,"  exclaimed  the  woman,  in  a  voice 
of  alarm,  at  the  same  time  taking  his  hand.  "  The  foster-mother  was  all  a 
fable;  it 's  your  own  parent  stands  before  you  —  Indiana  herself." 

"  Away,  woman  !  away  !"  cried  the  Creole,  fiercely,  freeing  his  hand 
and  starting  to  his  feet  at  the  same  moment.  "  So  then  1  am  a  dupe  at  last ; 
oh  !  had  I  foreseen  this,"  and  clasping  his  hands  above  his  head,  he  pared 
rapidly  to  and  fro  across  the  narrow  room  with  the  frantic  demeanour  of  a 
maniac^ 

"  Walter  Tyrrel,  listen  to  me,  I  beg  you  —  I  beseech  you  —  I  implore 
•you,"  exclaimed  the  woman,  at  each  adjuration  raising  her  voice,  till  it  be- 
came a  scream,  and  at  the  same  time  clinging  to  him  by  the  neck,  the  arms, 
or  even  the  knees.  But  he  continually  swung  himself  out  of  her  grasp,  and, 
as  a  last  resource,  she  left  his  violence  to  exhaust  itself,  planting  herself  in 
the  mean  while  in  the  entry,  with  each  hand  grasping  the  door-post,  to  pre- 
vent his  retreat. 

As  she  anticipated,  his  frenzy  gradually  decreased,  but  it  was  only  to 


TYLNEY    HALL.  243 

subside  into  a  more  terrible  calmness.  He  stopped  suddenly,  with  his  face 
close  to  hers,  so  that  their  eyes  looked  scarchingly  into  each  other,  whilst 
the  voice  he  addressed  her  with  scarcely  rose  above  a  whisper. 

"  She-devil  that  you  are,  did  you  wind  me  in  your  hellish  toils  but  for 
this —  to  make  me  the  pitiful  tool  of  your  own  ambition  ?" 

The   eyes  of  Marguerite  flashed  angrily,  but  she  restrained  her  passion. 

"  Walter,"  she  said,  "  we  will  talk  when  you  are  calmer  —  but  take  on< 
warning,  do  not  miscall  me  —  use  no  evil  w^ord  that  shall  make  you  readj 
hereafter  to  pluck  out  your  own  tongue  by  the  roots." 

"Come  and  talk  on,  then,"  said  the  Creole,  sullenly  retreating  and 
throwing  himself  again  upon  the  chest,  whilst  the  woman  reoccupied  tho 
chair.  They  watched  each^other  for  some  minutes  in  silence,  which  Mar 
gucrite  was  the  first  to  break. 

"Walter,  the  hour  is  come  that  must  seal  my  happiness  or  misery  —  the 
hour  to  which  I  have  looked  forward  through  long  years  of  scorn  and  sor- 
row. Oh,  Walter,  never  did  woman's  heart  beat  so  thickly  even  at  a  love 
tale  as  mine,  when  the  sound  of  your  foot  entered  this  hut ;  it  said  to  me 
—  *  Indiana,  there  comes  your  son,  the  child  you  have  pressed  in  many  an 
unrequited  embrace,  but  who  will  now  return  you  love  for  love.'  If  I  had 
any  ambition,  it  came  last,  when  I  whispered  to  myself,  '  and  that  son  is 
Sir  Walter  Tyrrel.' " 

"  Say  rather,"  answered  the  Creole,  haughtily,  "  that  when  I  became 
what  I  am.  Marguerite  envied  Indiana.  It  is  well  performed,  but  I  have 
sat  before  at  a  play  in  a  barn,  where  a  stroller,  a  vagrant  Jewess  may  be, 
has  personated  the  Glueen  of  Egypt." 

"But  she  had  not  Cleopatra's  own  jewels,"  answered  the  woman, 
glancing  at  her  hands,  which  glittered  with  many-coloured  gems.  "Nor 
did  she  wear  Antony's  picture  in  her  bosom"  —  and  she  drew  forth  the 
miniature  of  the  Creole's  father,  and  held  it  up  before  his  eyes. 

"  A  waiting  woman  has  purloined  as  much  before  now,"  answered  the 
latter,  with  a  sneer.  "  As  for  that  picture,  I  here  claim  it  as  my  own,  by 
right." 

"  Claim  it  as  my  son,"  answered  the  woman,  "  and  it  is  yours.  The 
child  must  take  the  mother  with  the  father — reject  me,  Walter,  and  you 
reject  him." 

"  I  must  have  better  proof,"  said  the  Creole,  smiling  scornfully,  "before 
I  adopt  such  a  motley  parentage.  For  my  own  part,  I  believe  in  the  force 
of  blood:  if  your  story  were  true,  there  would  have  been  some  hereditary 
outbreak  before  this,  but  I  have  never  taken  yet  to  gipsy  wanderings,  to 
tell  fortunes,  or  to  rob  hen-roosts." 

"  You  forget  my  warning,"  said  the  woman,  sharply  ;  "  if  I  have  been  a 
wanderer  and  reputed  gipsy,  it  was  for  your  ovvn  sake.  Talk  not  of  force 
of  blood  —  wat^r  even  draws  to  water,  but  if  your  heart  does  not  yearn 
towards  mine,  it  has  no  blood  in  its  arteries :  the  first  time  I  saw  Walter 
Tyrrel,  mine  drew  to  him  as  the  loadstone.  If  cold  iron  can  attract  iron, 
what  must  be  the  warm  impulse  of  kindred  flesh  and  blood  ?" 

"Since  you  choose  to  appeal  to  natural  philosophy,"  said  Sir  Walter, 
sarcastically,  "I  must  remind  you  that  stich  attraction  is  reciprocal.  The 
iron  leaps  to  the  magnet,  as  the  magnet  is  impelled  towards  the  iron  ;  but 
was  that  the  case  at  our  first  interview?  The  attractive  impulse  was  all 
your  own  ;   to  me,  if  you  remember,  the  sensation  was  repulsive." 

"  True  —  oh,  true  !"  exclaimed  the  woman,  pressing  her  hands  upon  her 
eyes,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  scene  he  had  conjured  up,  of  maternal  yearnings, 
and  their  bitter  disappointment.  "  But  the  fliilure,  Walter,  was  yours,  and 
not  mine.  Yes,  it  is  I  who  ought  to  reject,  who  otight  to  disclaim,  who 
ought  to  disown  a  being  so  unlike  myself,  for,  with  all  her  faults,  poor 
Indiana  could  love,  cruelly  as  it  seems  doomed  to  be  requited  by  both  father 
ttifd  son  !     Oh  Walter,  dearest  Walter,  in  pity  to  my  past  pangs,  spare  mo 


244  TYLNEY   HALL. 

my  present  ones  ;"  and  in  spite  of  herself,  her  wild  black  eyes  were  quenched 
in  a  gush  of  tears. 

"  i  am  sorry,  Marguerite,"  said  Sir  Walter,  in  a  gentler  tone,  "  that  my 
allusion  to  the  past  has  given  you  so  much  pain  ;  but  forget  our  first  meet- 
ing. 1  have  since  learned  to  estimate  tlie  tried  fidelity  and  affectionate 
devotion  of  my  foster-mother." 

"  Ay,  there  lies  the  stumbling-block,"  said  Marguerite,  as  if  speaking  to 
herself.  "  But  there  were  reasons,  weighty  reasons,  which  events  have 
justified,  for  my  remaining  unknown,  though  i*  was  a  sore  trial,  and  self- 
denial.  Many  times,  in  spite  of  prudence,  my  booom  has  panted  with  the 
secret,  almost  to  bursting ;  many  times  has  the  dear  name  been  upon  my 
tongue,  that  I  now  dare  to  call  you  by  —  my  son,  my  own  son !" 

**  Marguerite,  if  you  would  have  me  attend  to  your  warning,"  said  the 
Creole,  relapsing  into  hia  severity,  "  I  would  recommend  you  to  drop  that 
title,  and  not  press  upon  me  what  is  a  palpable  after-thought.  (Granting 
you  to  have  been  my  parent,  a  secrecy  so  essential  to  my  welfare  as  you 
represent,  might  have  been  safely  intrusted  to  my  own  keeping." 

"  Suppose  then  another  motive,"  answered  the  woman.  "  When  Walter 
Tyrrel  was  torn  from  these  arms  he  was  a  mere  infant ;  he  could  not  even 
lisp  my  name.  When  I  found  him  again,  years  had  converted  him  into  a 
bo}',  but  he  knew  not  his  mother's  face  —  he  knew  not  her  voice ;  he  spurned 
her,  as  well  he  might,  in  the  garb  of  a  vagrant,  for  if  his  young  memory 
could  recall  a  trace  of  her,  it  must  have  been  as  something  similar  to  what 
is  now  before  him.  Was  it  a  crime  then,  Walter,  that  before  she  demanded 
the  title,  she  wished  to  display  the  affection  of  a  mother  ?  —  that  before  she 
claimed  the  love  of  her  child,  she  endeavoured  to  earn  it?" 

"  As  a  foster-mother,"  said  Sir  Walter,  quietly. 

"A  hireling — a  mercenary  !"  exclaimed  the  woman.  "Her  fijnctions 
only  begin,  when  the  pre-eminent  ones  of  a  mother  have  come  to  an  end  ! 
Where  are  her  throes,  her  pangs,  her  painful  pleasure  and  her  pleasant 
pain,  that  hnk  her  for  ever  to  her  offspring  through  bliss  or  wo  ?  No, 
Walter,  none  but  a  parent  could  have  endured  what  I  have  gone  through 
for  your  sake.  Have  I  not  watched  for  hours  in  piercing  wind  and  drench- 
ing rain,  only  for  a  glimpse  of  you,  to  hear  the  sound  of  your  voice?  Have 
I  not  hovered  about  you  like  a  spirit,  to  guard  you  from  harm  ?  and  toiled 
like  a  slave,  till  my  toil  became  refreshing,  because  it  was  for  your  welfare  ? 
Have  I  not  even,  to  be  near  you,  discarded  the  character  of  woman,  and 
chosen  these  blood-stained  walls,"  —  she  pointed  to  the  partition, --"  for 
my  abode  ?" 

"Enough  of  this,"  answered  Sir  Walter,  petulantly.  "  I  am  not  so 
inclined  to  underrate  your  service?,  that  they  need  thus  to  be  set  forth. 
Anything  in  reason  you  may  command  —  in  return  for  the  interest  you 
have  been  pleased  to  take  in  my  fortunes." 

"  Listen  then,"  returned  Marguerite,  '*  since  we  are  to  treat  on  the  footing 
of  a  common  bargain;  the  reward  I  ask  is  small — a  few  syllables  pro- 
nounced by  the  breath  I  gave  you.  Only  acknowledge  me  as  your  mother, 
and  I  will  cancel  every  other  debt.  I  will  forget  that  through  me  you  are 
Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  —  that  by  my  counsel  you  are  not  marching  —  perhaps 
bleaching,  on  the  burning  sands  of  Egypt.  I  will  forget  even  that  I  have 
been  wronged  and  cast  off;  though  I  have  been  your  associate,"  she  added, 
wildly,  "in  plans  that  to  disclose  would  consign  you  to  the  gibbet!" 

"  I  defy  your  threat,"  retorted  Sir  Walter,  secretly  alarmed,  however,  by 
such  an  intimation  from  one  who  was  capable  of  any  extravagance  in  her 
fits  of  violence,  even  to  the  denunciation  of  herself.  "  Whatever  might  be 
schemed,  the  event  that  has  taken  place  was  by  course  of  nature.  But 
you  are  mad.  Marguerite,  you  are  mad  —  at  least,  upon  one  subject ;  and 
I  should  be  mad  too,  to  accept  your  self-delusions  in  proof  of  such  a  visionary 
relationship." 


TYLNET    HALL.  245 

"T  may  be  mad,"  answered  Marguerite.  "  I  have  enough  to  make  me 
so  ;  but  there  arc  others  who  are  sane.  So  surely  as  you  are  the  son  of 
Herbert  Tyrrrl,  ain  I  your  mother:  it  would  be  better  if  uncalled  for,  but 
there  is  evidence  in  the  neighbourhood  to  the  fact.  Ask  Pompey,  the 
black  footman  at  the  Hive,  who,  in  this  dress,  would  recognise  his  former 
mistress  at  a  glance." 

The  Creole  was  confounded  ;  the  passionate  earnestness  of  Marguerite, 
her  valuable  ornaments,  his  father's  picture,  and,  above  all,  the  appeal  to 
Pompny's  CAndence,  conspired  to  convince  him  that  there  was  some  founda- 
tion for  her  claim.  But  his  heart  had  become  callous,  and  instead  of  view- 
ing such  a  tie  as  an  acquisition,  he  ren:arded  it  as  one  that  would  embarrass 
him  ;  however  valuable  as  an  auxiliary,  as  a  mother  Marguerite  would  be 
but  a  tormenting  encumbrance,  perpetually  interfering  according  to  her 
dictatorial  character  with  his  purposed  independence.  And  he  anticipated 
the  popular  ridicule  that  would  attach  to  him  from  such  a  parentage  as  the 
Glueen  of  the  Gipsies.  Marguerite,  meanwhile,  fixed  her  dark  eyes  upon 
his  face,  as  if  to  penetrate  his  thoughts,  and  the  words  with  which  she  inter- 
rupted his  reverie,  proved  that  she  interpreted  them  correctly. 

"  Walter,  I  guess  your  scruples.  You  apprehend  that  her  vagrant  Majesty 
will  never  be  recognised  as  the  Glueen  Dowager  of  Tylney  Hall.  But  you 
know  not  the  world  as  I  do.  Call  me  the  mother  of  the  wealthy  Sir  Walter 
Tyrrel,  place  me  in  this  costwme  in  your  drawing-room,  and  you  shall  see  a 
dozen  contend  at  once  who  shall  place  the  cushion  beneath  my  t-eet'  seat 
me  thus  upon  a  sofa,  and  you  shall  see  a  score  languishing  for  the  sign  of 
my  finder  that  invites  the  favoured  one  to  my  side."  An  appropriate  motion 
of  the  hand  accompanied  the  last  sentence,  and  the  sparkling  eye,  and  flush- 
ins:  cheek  of  the  speaker,  betrayed  that  the  picture  of  the  future  was  but  a 
reflection  of  pa?t  triumphs. 

"  Never,"  said  the  Creole,  speaking  as  much  to  himself  as  his  companion, 
"never:  it  might  do  in  St.  Christopher's,  but  not  here;  a  vagrant,-  a 
jail-bird,  marked  with  stripes  even " 

His  auditor  started  to  her  feet  like  a  storm  personified  :  her  brows  lowered, 
her  eves  lightened,  and  her  voice  thundered.  "  Dare  not,  Walter  Tyrrel," 
she  cried,  "  dare  njDt  to  degrade  your  own  mother.  Such  words  as  you  have 
used  should  sear  your  lips!  i3own  on  your  knee,  —  down,  and  beg  my 
pardon.  Let  the  whole  world  beside  fail  me  in  respect,  but  I  will  have 
yours  !" 

"Peace,  woman,  peace,"  cried  the  Creole,  with  equal  vehemence,  and 
likewise  rising  from  his  seat.  "  But  mad,  or  not  mad,  there  is  no  one  here 
to  heed  your  ravings.  Now  hearken  yourself.  Mother  of  mine,  or  mother 
not  minr^,  makes  no  difl'i^rence.  Granting  you  to  be  what  you  allege,  my 
father  did  not  separate  himself  from  you  without  some  good  reason  of  his 
own  ;  and  I  mean  dutifully  to  walk  in  his  steps ;  but  out  oP^"espect  to  him^ 
I  will  consent  to  allow  yon  a  decent  competence ;  but  it  must  be  on  one 
ccmdition,  —  that  you  return  to  the  Western  Islands,  and  place  the  Atlantic 
between  me  and  yourself." 

So  savins,  he  made  a  movement  to  leave  the  hut,  but  Marguerite  antici- 
pated his  intention,  and  resumed  her  old  position  in  the  doorway.  "  You 
pass  not  here,"  she  cried,  "  except  over  my  body,  till  I  am  recognised." 

"  I  have  named  my  terms,"  answered  the  Creole,  deliberately  folding  his 
arms,  in  token  of  his  determination.  "  If  I  call  you  mother  it  must  be  when 
you  are  in  St.  Kitts." 

A  sharp  shrill  cry  burst  from  Marguerite  ;  it  sounded  like  a  trumpet  note 
of  retreat  from  a  field  of  battle,  where  she  had  lost  her  all.  But  she  fought 
as  she  fled.  "  Wretch  !"  she  cried,  "cold-blooded  wretch,  unworthy  of  fa- 
ther or  of  mother  —  but  the  curse  shall  return  upon  you,  no  issue  shall  ever 
spring  from  your  loins !  No  offspring  shall  ever  endear  your  hearth,  no  child 
Bholl  ever  draw  you  to  your  home.    You  shall  walk  tlirough  the  wodd  aa 


^. 


246  TYLNEY    HALL. 

lonely  and  as  desolate  as  I  am,  without  a  living  creature  to  love  you,  or  a 
being  to  love !" 

"  Alore  gipsy-work,"  said  Sir  Walter,  carelessly.  "Tell  me  the  rest  of 
my  fortune,  and  I  will  cross  your  hand  with  a  crown.  But  this  is  child's 
play.  You  have  real  claims  upon  me.  Marguerite,  without  setting  up  sen- 
timental ones.  I  care  not  who  bore  me,  so  that  I  was  born  in  wedlock  ;  a 
point  certain  parties  are  inclined  to  dispute.  May  I  depend  upon  the  pa- 
pers you  gave  me  ?" 

"  Trust  to  nothing,"  answered  a  stifled  voice,  and  as.  the  Creole  looked 
at  the  speaker,  he  saw  her  leaning  her  head  upon  her  hands  against  the 
door-post,  whilst  her  body  heaved  as  with  convulsive  spasms.  Before  he 
could  get  to  her  she  was  down  ;  and  she  waved  him  from  her  with  her  arms 
at  every  attempt  to  raise  her  up  again,  whilst  the  blood  flowed  from  her 
mouth  so  as  to  prevent  her  utterance.  But  her  dark  eyes  spoke  volumes  as 
she  fixed  them  upon  the  face  of  the  Creole  ;  they  were  full  of  reproach  and 
resentment.  Once  or  twice  she  tried  to  speak,  but  the  effort  caused  the  vital 
fluid  to  gush  more  violently  ;  and  with  a  mournful  shake  of  the  head,  and 
a  despairing  motion  of  her  hands,  she  intimated  that  hope  was  at  an  end. 
A  cold  dew  started  upon  her  forehead,  her  chest  panted  more  violently,  and, 
after  a  frightful  struggle,  she  died  choked  with  her  own  blood. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  Indiana  Thurot,  for  it  was  that  wretched  woman 
herself  who  lay  weltering  at  the  feet  of  her  urftiatural  son.  Endowed  by 
nature  with  extreme  beauty  and  strong  passions',  which  parental  dotage  had 
indulged,  till  she  knew  no  law  but  her  own  ungovernable  self-will,  from  the 
pampered  spoilt  girl  she  grew  into  the  capricious  imperious  woman,  whose 
merest  whim,  however  extravagant,  was  sedulously  gratified  by  one  or  other 
of  the  admirers  who  made  her  the  object  of  their  flattering  idolatry.  From 
amongst  these  she  had  selected  Colonel  Tyrrel  as  most  worthy  of  her  fa- 
vour;  he  was  handsome,  elegant,  and  accomplished,  and  entertained  an 
ardent  afl^ection,  which  she  as  fervently  returned.  A  liaison  ensued,  of 
which  the  Creole  was  the  fruit;  but  shortly  after  his  birlh,  her  impetuous 
temper  began  to  show  itself  in  the  shape  of  the  most  frantic  jealousy,  whilst 
her  tyrannical  jliiposition  prompted  her  to  the  greatest  cruelties  in  the  treat- 
ment of  her  slaves.  At  length,  in  an  unbridled  fit  of  passion,  she  inflicted 
the  wound  which  shortened  the  days  of  the  Colonel ;  after  which  she  fled, 
it  was  believed,  to  take  refuge  with  a  former  paramour,  with  whom  she 
proceeded  to  England,  where  her  companion  shortly  deserted  her.  In  the 
course  of  the  next  twelve  years  she  had  formed  two  or  three  short-lived  con- 
nexions with  persons  of  wealth  and  consequence,  whom  her  fascinations  had 
enthralled,  but  her  original  violence  and  lavish  expenditure  invariably  dis- 
solved every  fresh  tie ;  and  even  in  the  most  prosperous  seasons  of  such 
attachments,  her  heart  reverted  with  regret  and  bitterness  to  the  past.  In 
such  a  frame  of  mind  she  learned  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Tyrrel  in  England 
with  his  son,  and  she  immediately  determined  to  throw  herself  in  his  way 
and  sue  for  a  reconciliation,  but  his  speedy  death  defeated  her  project.  All 
her  affections  then  concentred  in  the  young  Walter ;  and  the  mode  in  which 
this  engrossing  feeling  developed  itself  has  been  already  told.  A  love  of 
the  mysterious  and  the  romantic,  a  peculiar  fondness  for  intrigue  even  in 
the  smallest  matters,  and  her  habits  of  uncontrolled  liberty,  impelled  her  to 
the  strange  unsettled  mode  of  life  she  had  chosen  to  adopt.  At  first,  her 
scheme  for  the  aggrandizement  of  Sir  Walter  was  unmixed  with  any  other 
object,  but  by  degrees  she  joined  with  it  a  hankering  to  resume  that  splen- 
dour and  sway  which  she  had  formerly  enjoyed.  Hence  her  catastrophe. 
She  died  as  she  had  lived,  a  victim  to  her  own  unrestrained  passions  ;  and 
the  same  hour  that  saw  her  decked  in  the  gorgeous  attire  of  former  days, 
beheld  her  stretched  on  the  ground  a  livid  corpse ;  a  spectacle  the  more  ap- 
palling, as  the  lifeless  flesh  lay  glittering  in  all  the  "pomp,  pride,  and  cir- 
cumstauce,"  of  its  earthly  vanities. 


TTLNET   HALL,  24T 

The  shock  to  Sh-  Walter's  feelings  was  not  so  great  as  to  stun  his  pru- 
Cfence  or  deaden  his  cupidity.  After  a  brief  epitaph  over  the  body,  he  pro- 
ceeded carefully  to  ransack  the  adjoining  apartment,  which  he  found  scantily 
furnished,  yet  exhibiting  one  more  token  of  the  character  of  the  deceased. 
The  bed  was  sordidly  mean,  but  her  toilet  was  perfect  in  its  appointments, 
Pome  of  which  were  particularly  costly.  His  strictest  search  was  for  papers 
whereby  he  might  have  been  compromised,  but  he  found  merely  one  small 
packet,  though  its  contents  confirmed  his  worst  misgivings ;  they  were  rough 
drafts  of  the  letters  and  the  certificate  which  Marguerite  had  given  to  him, 
all  in  the  same  hand,  and  with  such  erasures,  additions,  and  interlineations, 
and  even  marginal  remarks,  as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  tlieir  being  the  originals 
of  concerted  forgeries.  A  discovery  so  fatal  to  his  peace  steeled  his  heart, 
and  drew  from  him  a  bitter  imprecation  on  the  author. 

"  She  might  well  say  trust  to  nothing,"  he  muttered.  "  Some  day,  had  she 
lived,  in  one  of  kier  fury  fits  at  my  declining  to  gratify  her  preposterous  de- 
mands, she  would  have  turned  my  arras  against  me,  and  challenged  her 
own  precious  fabrications." 

So  saving,  with  the  coolness  of  a  savage  Indian  rifling  a  slain  enemy,  he 
took  the"  jewels  from  her  person,  drew  the  gemmed  rings  from  her  fingers, 
and  transferred  his  father's  miniature  to  his  own  bosom.  He  then  left  the 
hut,  and  returned  to  the  Hall,  leaving  the  remains  of  Indiana,  the  once  pa- 
ramount idolized  beauty  of  St.  Christopher's,  to  be  discovered  by  chance  or 
to  moulder  where  they  "lay  —  the  latter  fate  being  the  most  probable,  con- 
sidering the  haunted  character  of  the  place. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

Learning:  is  your  only  having? 
Why  then  he  has  the  best  of  ownershipg, 
Can  winds  and  angry  billows  wveck  his  learning.' 
Can  thieves  and  midnight  robbers  steal  bis  learning? 
Can  rot  and  mildew  perish  all  his  learning  > 
Can  learning  be  consumed  by  fire,  or  locked 
For  ages  in  the  limbo  of  the  law? 
Is  learning  in  the  stocks  ?     Can  it  be  spent 
By  prodigals  ?     Can  learning  ever  lose 
Its  master  like  a  dog?     Pray  be  content, 
Learning  is  surest  of  the  gifts  we  have ! 

TOWNE    AND  GOWNE. 

Time  rolled  on ,  six  months  passed  away,  and  Sir  Walter  experienced 
no  new  inquietude.  The  ghost  of  the  haunted  hut  had  still  the  body  of  In- 
diana in  its  keeping;  and  the  Squire  had  found  more  difficulty  than  he  had 
anticipated  in  proving  the  identity  and  descent  of  his  protegee.  The  only 
person  who  could  have  supplied  any  information  was  Twigg;  but  the  ex- 
sheritT  resolutely  set  his  face  against  the  claim,  and  refused  to  acknowledge 
any  relationship  with  a  tatterdemalion  who  could  not  bring  a  good  character 
for  industry  and  application,  to  say  nothing  of  sobriety,  from  his  last  place, 
Ned  had  felt  the  propriety  of  introducing  the  cousins  to  each  other,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  took  Tom  with  him  to  the  Hive,  clad  in  a  new  suit  of  mourn- 
ing, and  looKmg  quite  a  gentleman,  without  any  trace  of  his  recent  reckless 
habit,  save  a  rather  rubicund  complexion,  which,  after  all,  only  made  him 
look  like  the  incumbent  of  a  fat  living.  The  Squire  never  stood  upon  eti- 
quette, and  the  visit  he  paid  was  so  early  that  he  arrived  when  the  family 
were  seated  at  breakfast 

"  Mercy  on  us  !  Mr.  Squire,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  here's  an  early  visit." 

"  Friends  can't  meet  too  soon,"  answered  the  Squire;  and  then,  turning 

to  the  master  of  the  house,  he  added,  "  brought  a  new  cousin  —  one  you 

never  saw  before  ;  been  a  little  under  a  cloud,  but  by  and  by  will  be  as 

bright  as  any  of  us." 


348  TTLNET   HALL. 

"  He  is  very  welcome  to  the  Hive,"  answered  Twi^g ;  "  I  am  not  a  man 
to  disown  flesh  and  hlood,  because  of  a  low  beginning.  I  don't  care  who 
knows  it,  but,  as  shiny  as  I  am  now,  I  rose  in  a  fog  myself.  Pray,  what  is 
the  gentleman's  name  ?" 

"  Sir  Thomas  Tyrrel,  if  all  had  their  rights,"  answered  Ned  j  "  son  of 
old  Theodore  —  grandsire  Theophilns.'' 

"  I  behove  my  uncle  Theodore  did  have  a  son,"  answered  Twigg,  his 
countenance  decidedly  lengthening,  "  but  he  was  a  reprobate  that  never 
pushed  on  in  life.  If  he'd  fagged  at  his  business  early  and  late,  as  I  did, 
he'd  have  been  a  doctor  of  divinity.'^ 

The  unfortunate  student  hung  his  head. 

"  Sad  job,  sure  enough,"  said  the  Squire  ;  "  got  in  a  bit  of  a  spree,  and 
old  Hilary  kicked  him  out —  very  severe  at  Oxford  ;  —  old  Hilary,  above 
all!" 

"  Youth  will  be  froUcsome,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg;  "  there's  T.  junior  tor- 
ments our  lives  out.  What  he'd  do  at  college.  Heaven  knows!  but  I'm 
afraid  he  'd  get  into  scrapes  till  he  was  scraped  out  too." 

"  Oxford  be  hanged,"  said  the  citizen,  "  he  must  rise  to  London  dignities, 
as  his  father  did  before  him.  The  less  learning,  says  you,  the  more  credit 
for  cutting  figures." 

"  Right,"  said  Ned,  with  a  knowing  wink,  "  would  n't  train  at  Epsom 
to  run  at  York.  But  let  alone  T.  junior  ;  come  to  Tom  here  —  Tom  in 
Tatters.'»  > 

"  Tom  in  Whats?"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Twigg. 

"  Tatters,"  answered  Ned  ;  "  strange  cousin  of  yours,  Mr.  Twigg  — 
just  turned  up,  like  a  new  potato." 

"  What !  us  own  to  him,''''  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  turning  up  her  hands  and  eyes 
with  horror  ;  "  Mr.  Squire,  I  do  wonder  at  you,  when  we  've  every  thing 
respectable  about  us,  to  bring  such  riff-raff  into  the  house.  Every  body 
knows  him,  thaugh  you  have  smarted  him  up  ;  he  's  tag-rag  and  bobtail  at 
bottom  !     Why  he  's  the  hullabaloo  of  the  whole  parish  !" 

"  Hold  your  fool's  tongue,  madam,"  said  Tv/igg ;  *'  Mr.  Squire  can't 
mean  to  introduce  to  us  a  character  that's  of  no  use  to  society  except  to 
cast  a  slur  upon  people  of  property." 

"  Do  intend,  though  !"  said  Ned.    "  Tom,  speak  up  for  yourself." 

"  There  is  no  one  here,"  said  the  student,  "  who  could  sympathise  with 
what  I  should  have  to  say." 

"  No  matter  —  "  said  Ned,  "  do  it  for  you.  '  Here  I  am  —  been  drunk 
now  and  then  —  who  has  not  ?  —  was  rather  rough  in  the  coat  from  bad 
keep '"  ,  * 

"  Rough  in  the  coat,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  a  regular  scarecrow  !'* 

**  Never  mind  Mrs.  Twigg,"  said  her  husband,  addressing  the  stranger, 
•*'  she  rhodomontades.  Take  my  advice,  whoever  you  are ;  begin  the  world 
again.  Go  up  to  London  with  a  shilling  in  your  pocket,  and  make  your 
fortune.  You ^ve  had  a  clerical  educa,tion  :  go  round  to  all  the  churches, 
and  do  n't  be  too  high  for  any  thing,  no  matter  how  low  it  is ;  that  was  my 
principle  —  commence  humble.  I  once  begun  as  a  beadle,  says  you  ;  but 
I  leave  off  a  bishop,  with  my  share  of  church  property." 

"  As  for  us,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg,  "  we  could  n't  afford  to  do  any  thing  for 
you  if  you  was  a  relation.  Every  thing 's  dear  ;  meat  is  unconscionable. 
What  with  one  thing  and  t'  other,  I  must  say  our  expenses  always  premedi- 
tate our  income." 

"  Not  but  if  industry  dnd  perseverance  met  their  reward,"  said  Twi<rg, 
''  I  should  be  ready  to  assist  any  frugal  individual.  A  inan  that  has  obtain- 
ed his  pr(»perty  by  such  means  deserves  our  conimiseralion." 

'*  Thank  ye  when  it  comes,"  said  Squire  Ned  ;  "  not  a  bad  way  of  making 
up  a  book  —  backing  a  horse  when  his  tail's  past  the  winning  post.  Won't 
take  to  Tom,  then?" 


TYLNEY   HALL.  249 

"  Why  do  n't  Mr.  Thomas  take  to  himself,"  said  Mrs.  Twigg.  "  I  'm  sure 
that 's  Christianity  — '  every  man  for  himself,  and  God  for  us  all.'  Nobody 
feels  that  more  than  we  do." 

"  That 's  sense  for  once,"  said  Twigg.  "  We  are  certainly  very  prosper- 
ous ;  God  has  been  for  us,  and,  says  you,  so  have  we  been  for  God.  Since 
we  've  lived  at  the  Hive,  we've  never  missed  a  Sunday  at  church." 

"  A.nd  that's  more  than  the  Pembertons  can  say,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Twi;5g  ;  "  they  skip  all  the  wet  Sundays  because  of  the  horses'  coughs, 
and  The  servants'  liveries." 

"  Church,  eh?"  said  Ned;  "  you're  high  church,  and  that's  the  weather- 
cock —  turn  with  every  wind  that  blows.  Come  along,  Tom  !  '  Charity 
Dogins  at  home  ;'  but  can't  find  her  —  got  the  wrong  address." 

So  saying,  like  the  practical  good  Satnaritan,  the  Squire  led  his  protegee 
back  to  the  cottage,  where  he  took  him  in  to  bed,  board,  and  lodging,  on 
terms,  cards  of  which  are  to  be  had  only  of  those  who  keep  open  house. 
The  Levite  and  his  wife,  in  the  mean  time,  excused  themselves  by  a  reflec- 
tion which  the  latter  put  into  words.  "  It  was  impossible,"  she  said,  "  to 
feel  any  thing  for  any  body  what  was  nothing  to  nobody." 

The  Squire  was  disconcerted,  but  not  discouraged,  by  the  result  of  this 
visit ;  he  sent  out  an  agent  to  St.  Christopher's  to  obtain  information  con- 
cerning the  marriage  of  Colonel  Tyrrel,  and  the  birth  of  the  Creole,  whilst 
he  set  to  work  himself  to  hunt  out  evidence  in  support  of  the  claim  of  hia 
client.  This  was  a  task  of  some  difficulty,  owing  to  the  irregular  conduct  of 
Tom,  who  in  his  degradation  had  purposely  destroyed  and  sunk  all  traces 
of  his  original  station.  Thus  nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  matter  for 
some  time,  and  the  new  Baronet  began  to  flatter  himself  that  the  question 
was  at  rest ;  but  although  Ned  was  mute,  he  was  picking  out  the  scent  with 
his  usual  sagacity  and  perseverance. 

In  the  mean  time,  as  Sir  Walter  had  foreseen,  his  attachment  to  Grace 
Rivers  seemed  likely  to  be  nullified  by  the  death  of  its  object.  Every  time 
he  saw  her,  and  he  paid  frequent  visits  at  Hawksley,  ostensibly  on  ac- 
count of  his  aunt,  she  appeared  more  faded  and  wasted ;  and  as  he  had 
augured  of  Mrs.  Hamilton's  companionship,  he  tbund  himself  looked  upon, 
not  merely  with  indifference,  but  dislike.  Grace  evidently  shunned  him  ; 
whenever  she  could  with  propriety  withdraw  she  left  him  to  the  company 
of  his  aunt,  and  when  she  remained,  his  attempts  to  draw  her  into  conver- 
sation were  foiled  by  cold  and  laconic  answers.  Sometimes  she  replied  to 
him  even  with  a  tone  of  asperity,  and  her  few  words  conveyed,  or  at  least 
were  capable  of  being  converted  into  some  bitter  reproach.  He  had  sounded 
the  Justice,  and  had  reason  to  believe  that  his  pretensions  would  be  favour- 
ably received  by  the  father,  however  the  offer  of  his  person  and  fortune 
might  be  treated  by  the  daughter,  and  he  resolved  to  bring  the  question  to 
an  issue.  Chance  at  last  afforded  him  an  opportunity.  She  was  sitting 
alone  one  day  in  the  drawing-room,  when  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  was  announced, 
and  before  she  had  time  to  frame  any  excuse,  he  entered  the  apartment. 
The  moment  was  propitious  ;  after  a  kw  compliments,  and  general  remarks, 
to  which  she  replied  as  briefly  as  usual,  he  suddenly  assumed  a  great  ear- 
nestness of  manner,  and  asked  her  if"  he  was  always  to  be  so  unfortunate 
as  to  labour  under  the  displeasure  of  Miss  Rivers  ?" 

"  I  am  not  aware,"  said  Grace,  "  of  any  expression  of  mine  that  could 
indicate  such  a  feeling." 

"  I  am  happy  to  believe  then,"  answered  the  Creole,  "  that  I  have  been 
mistaken,  and  that  your  words  did  not  intentionally  meditate  such  wounds 
as  they  have  inflicted.  I  have  been  grieved  to  the  heart  sometimes,  to  fancy 
that  I  suff*ered  in  the  opinion  of  one  whose  favour  I  value  above  that  of  the 
whole  world  besides." 

"  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  can  have  little  need  of  my  poor  opinion,"  answered 

3—4 


450  TYLNEY    HALL. 

Grace,  coldly.  "  He  will  find  plenty  to  think  well  of  him  now  he  is  the 
favourite  of  fortune." 

"  A  painful  pre-eminence,"  he  said,  "  and  too  dearly  purchased  to  afford 
me  any  pleasure.  Fortune  has  indeed  favoured  me  far  beyond  my  deserts 
in  a  worldly  sense;  but  when  I  placed  my  bereavements  against  it  in  the 
balance,  I  feel,  alas,  that  I  have  lost  far  more  than  I  have  gained.  With 
this  regret  I  am  sure  my  dear  Miss  Rivers  will  sympathize.  How  proud 
and  happy  should  I  be  if  we  had  all  oiher  sentiments  in  common." 

"  That  is  impossible,"  answered  Grace,  hastily. 

"  Say  not  so,  my  dear  Miss  Rivers,"  exclaimed  the  Creole,  ardently  ; 
why  should  not  love  meet  with  love,  as  grief  mingles  with  grief?  Why 
should  not  sighs  of  passion  encounter  fellow  sighs,  as  well  as  teajr  with  tear 
in  heartfelt  communion  ?  Why  should  not  this  white  hand  tremble  to 
mine " 

"  No  more  of  this,  I  beg,"  said  Grace,  disengaging  her  hand,  which  the 
Creole  had  grasped. 

*'  I  must  —  forgive  me,  dearest  Miss  Rivers,"  said  Sir  Walter, ''  but  while 
this  heart  beats  with  love,  my  tongue  must  speak  in  unison.  Mingle  some 
pity  for  the  living  with  your  regret  for  the  dead.  Waste  not  in  unavailing 
sorrow  that  lovely  form " 

"  And  waste  not  these  flatteries,"  interrupted  Grace,  hastily,  "  on  ears  to 
which  they  are  unwelcome."  So  saying  she  rose  up,  and  was  about  to  leave 
the  room,  but  Sir  Walter  detained  her. 

"  Do  not,  do  not  go,"  he  said  ;  "  if  it  must  be  my  last,  at  least  grant  me 
a  longer  audience  ;  at  least  suffer  me  to  lay  my  life  and  fortune  at  your  feet, 
though  they  should  be  doomed  to  rejection.  Allow  me  at  least  to  show 
that  lam  not  blind  to  such  perfection,  but  that  I  love  —  I  adore— — " 

"  Sir  Walter,"  said  Grace,  angrily,  "  let  me  pass." 

"  Not  till  you  have  bid  me  hope,"  said  Sir  Walter,  sinking  on  one  knee  ; 
"  place  it  as  distant  as  you  will,  even  like  a  star  set  in  the  farthest  heaven, 
so  that  I  may  look  forward  without  despair." 

"  I  have  no  hope  to  give  or  to  receive,"  answered  Grace.  "  Respect  my 
misery,  and  spare  this  mockery  of  a  broken  heart." 

"  Give  it  to  my  keeping,  dear  Grace,"  replied  the  Creole,  smiling,  "  and 
I  will  answer  for  the  cure.  Sorrow  is  not  immortal ;  and  as  for  a  broken 
heart,  it  is,  I  assure  you,  a  mere  poetical  trope," 

"  Enough," answered  Grace,  indignantly,  "I  will  hear  no  more." 

"  One  word  —  another  word,"  exclaimed  Sir  Walter,  detaining  her  by 
her  dress,  "  say  that  you  do  not  hate  me,  and  I  shall  still  have  hope  to  live 
upon." 

**  Then  despair,"  answered  Grace.  "  As  I  hate  all  that  is  base,  cruel, 
and  treacherous,  I  hate  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel ;"  and  bursting  into  tears,  she 
broke  from  him  and  hurried  out  of  the  room. 

The  Creole  was  petrified.  Her  voice,  like  that  of  the  accusing  angel, 
had  struck  upon  his  guilty  soul.  So  harsh  a  sentence  from  so  gentle  a^-be- 
ing  gave  the  words  a  tenfold  force,  and  he  shrank  and  shuddered  as  if  all 
his  secret  villanies  had  just  been  laid  bare  to  the  gaze  of  the  whole  world. 
But  this  transient  feeling  of  remorse  soon  passed  away,  and  more  angry 
passions  usurped  its  place. 

*'  There  spoke  my  malignant  aunt,"  he  said  ;  "the  infernal  words  were 
hers,  though  put  into  Grace's  mouth."  ' 

In  this  irritable  mood  he  snatched  up  his  hat,  and  without  waiting  to  see 
Mrs.  Hamilton,  he  abruptly  quitted  the  house. 

He  was  destined  to  another  annoyance,  though  of  a  more  petty  charac- 
ter. As  he  flung  himself  sullenly  on  his  horse,  the  animal,  from  some  ruffle 
in  his  temper,  began  to  back  and  turn  round,  a  whim  so  trying  to  the  im- 
patient humour  of  Sir  Walter,  that  he  plied  the  spur,  the  whip,  and  the 
bit,  without  mercy  ;  and  the  horse  resenting  this  treatment,  a  struggle  en- 


TYLNEY    HALL.  251 

sxied  for  the  mastery,  in  which  the  rider  literally  came  off  with  the  worst. 
After  several  plunges,  and  rearing  and  kicking,  by  a  sudden  jerk  the  brute  con- 
trived to  throw  the  Creole  over  his  head,  to  the  infinite  mortification  of  the 
latter,  who  heard  a  horse-laugh  at  his  expense.  He  was  in  the  saddle  again 
in  a  twinkling,  and  cramming  the  spurs  into  the  flanks  of  his  steed,  he  de- 
parted at  full  gallop  ;  but  at  the  end  of  the  first  hundred  yards,  he  was 
nearly  unseated  again  by  the  horse  shying  at  some  object  in  the  road,  which 
he  refused  to  pass.  Indeed  it  looked  more  like  a  bundle  of  rags  than  a  hu- 
man being,  that  sat,  or  rather  crouched,  on  the  ground  at  the  side  of  the 
narrow  lane;  and  the  snorting.animal  Avas  only  induced  by  dint  of  much 
alternate  coaxing  and  compulsion  to  approach  within  a  yard  or  two  of  the 
figure,  where  he  stood  wildly  eyeing  it,  and  panting  with  terror.  Sir  Wal- 
ter, however,  was  bent  upon  his  point,  and  at  last  succeeded  in  bringing' 
his  horse  so  close,  as  almost  to  trample  on  the  man,  and  then  reining  him 
up,  he  suffered  the  wayward  brute  to  gaze  away  his  alarm.  The  poor 
wretch,  in  the  mean  time,  turned  up  his  face  imploringly ;  it  was  pinched 
with  cold  and  hunger,  and  of  the  colour  of  saffron,  and  liis  hand  shook  like 
an  ague  as  he  held  out  a  tattered  straw  hat. 

"  For  the  love  of  God,  bestow  a  ha'penny  on  a  poor  unfortunate  fel- 
low !" 

"I '11  bestow  a  broken  head  on  you,  scoundrel  1"  cried  the  vexed  Sir 
"Walter,  and  he  aimed  a  blow  at  the  object  with  the  butt-end  of  his  whip. 

"  The  old  thing!"  exclaimed  the  mendicant,  in  a  tone  of  piteous  resigna 
tion  :  "  more  kicks  than  ha'pence.     But  that 's  my  luck  !" 

The  spurs  were  dashed  in  the  horse's  side  ;  he  darted  past  the  beggar, 
and  flew  off  with  the  speed  of  the  whirlwind  :  but  a  new  trouble  was  ia 
store  for  the  ill-used  wretch.  A  tall,  ungainly,  heavy-looking  man  came 
striding  up  to  him,  and  inquired,  in  a  tone  of  authority,  what  had  passed 
with  the  gentleman  on  horseback. 

"  I  only  asked  him  for  a  trifle  to  keep  soul  and  body  together,"  said  the 
man  in  rags,  "  and  he  gave  me  this  cut  on  the  head.  It  has  fetched  blood  ; 
but  I  won't  complain.  It's  what  I  'm  used  to,  — only  I  'd  take  it  kind  if 
he'd  made  it  wilful  murder  at  once." 

"Then  you  was  begging,"  said  the  constable,  with  a  wink  and  a  nod, 
for  it  was  Master  Goff  himself-  "  Let  me  alone  for  finding  out  vagrancy. 
I  knew  I'd  pump  it  out  of  ye.     You  must  come  along  with  me." 

"  What  for  begging  a  ha'  penny  ?"  asked  the  object. 

"  Yes,  or  for  half  a  farden,"  answered  the  constable.  "  It 's  the  positive 
orders  of  his  worship,  Justice  Rivers,  and  I  'm  especial  particular  round 
about  his  own  terri-iories." 

"It's  just  as  usual !"  said  Joe  ;  for  to  this  wretched  plight  the  poor  fatal- 
ist had  come  at  last.  "  To  be  iirabbed  for  begging,  the  very  first  time  I 
tried  my  hand  at  it.  But  it's  l^riday,  and  that's  enough.  Some  would  have 
got  the'copper  at  all  events  ;  but  it 's  my  luck  to  beg  gratis.  I  thought 
it  was  a  last  chance,  but  it  ain't.     There  's  no  chance  for  me  .'" 

"  Come  along,"  said  the  constable,  "it's  only  the  stocks  and  a  whip- 
ping !" 

"I  expect  nothing:  else,"  answered  Joe.  "Such  things  come  nat'ral  to 
me  now.  I 've  alwavs  my  full  measure  of  misfortins,  brimful  and  running 
over.  Some  would  have  had  the  jaundice,  antl  some  would  have  had  the 
ague,  and  some  would  have  had  the  rheumatiz  ;  nobody  but  me  would 
have  had  'em  all  three  at  once,  and  not  the  luck  neither  to  be  laid  out !" 

"You  needn't  tell  me  a  long  story,"  said  the  pompous  constable.  "I 
know  every  thing ;  so  pick  up  your  rags.  His  worship  will  give  you  a 
furbishing,  I  warrant  you." 

«'  I  do  n't  look  for  a  "friend  in  him,"  answered  Joe.  "  All  the  world  's  agin 
me,  man,  woman,  and  child.  1  don't  know  what  love  or  friendship  is. 
Sut  if  any  body  was  to  take  to  me,  I  should  only  bring  bad  luck  upon  'em; 


252  TTLNCY    HALL. 

80  they're  wise  to  keep  off'.     There's  nothing  but  evil  for  me  in  this  world 
and  may  be  the  same  in  t'other  —  God  knows." 

With  this  dreary  desponding  sentiment,  the  poor,  ragged,  crippled,  lean, 
glwstly  yellow  being  got  up  into  a  half-stooping  position,  and  in  this  deplo- 
rable posture  halted  feebly  after  the  constable,  to  receive  his  new  portion  of 
affliction  and  stripes. 

In  the  mean  time,  Sir  Walter  continued  his  gallop,  which  he  afterwards 
changed  to  a  canter,  and  then  to  a  trot ;  but,  with  a  view  of  dissipating  his 
chagrin,  instead  of  turning  off  to  the  Hall,  he  prolonged  his  ride  by  taking 
a  road  towards  Hollinijton,  a  course  which  brought  him  into  the  vicinity  of 
Squire  Ned.  He  recollected  himself,  however,  as  the  grotesque  chimneys 
of  the  Cottage  appeared  above  the  trees  ;  and,  with  an  inclination  to  avoid 
an  encounter  with  its  owner,  he  was  turning  away  by  a  side  lane,  when  a 
clatter  of  horses'  heels  caused  him  to  turn  his  head,  and  he  beheld  the 
Squire  gallopping  towards  him  at  full  speed.  With  a  vague  misgiving,  for 
which  he  was  unable  to  account.  Sir  Waller  instantly  pricked  his  own  horse 
into  a  gallop  ;  but  Ned's  quick  eye  had  detected  him  at  a  distance,  and  be- 
fore the  Creole  had  gone  two  hundred  yards,  he  heard  the  other  horse  turn 
into  the  same  lane. 

With  the  consciousness  that  he  was  pursued,  and  aware  of  the  Squire's 
determined  hostility,  he  again  urged  his  steed  to  the  top  of  his  speed  ;  but 
he  had  to  contend  with  a  daring  and  experienced  rider,  and  a  horse  much 
fresher  than  his  own.  Every  moment  the  sound  gained  upon  him  ;  but  the 
high-mettled  animal  that  bore  him  made  play  gallantly,  and  whenever  the 
clatter  approached  him,  he  made  fresh  and  desperate  efforts  to  mamtain  his 
lead.  The  rider's  heart,  meanwhile,  beat  fast  as  his  horse's  hoofs ;  the 
first  indistinct  flinching  impulse  that  had  induced  him  to  flight,  increased  in 
intensity  with  the  arduousness  of  the  struggle,  and  as  he  found  Cadeau 
straining  under  him  to  the  utmost  stretch  of  his  powers,  he  felt  the  thrilling 
excitement  of  one  who  was  racing  for  his  life.  The  sight  of  a  high  gate 
closing  the  end  of  the  lane,  suggested  a  doubt  that  was  solved  almost  as 
soon  as  formed.  Cadeau  flew  over  it  like  a  bird !  —  the  rider,  who  had  held 
his  breath  in  the  suspense  of  expectation,  gave  a  gasp  of  delight.  But  the 
leap  was  fatal  to  the  speed  of  the  now  jaded  horse.  It  shook  him  ;  his  sin- 
ews were  over-strained,  and  his  pace  suddenly  declined.  He  was  lame. 
Aware  that'  he  must  now  be  inevitably  overtaken.  Sir  Walter  pulled  up  at 
once,  and  set  himself  erect  in  the  saddle,  somewhat  in  scorn,  now  the  hurry 
of  rapid  motion  had  ceased,  of  the  groundless  terrors  that  had  lately  possess- 
ed him.  A  few  minutes  brought  the  Squire  beside  him,  panting  from  the 
recent  struggle.  I(  took  him  a  while  to  collect  breath  enough  to  speak,  and 
the  unusual  harshness  of  his  voice,  when  the  words  came  at  last,  had  a 
startling  effect  on  the  ear  of  the  Creole. 

'*  Must  be  a  better  than  Cadeau  to  beat  Barney  —  with  revenge  on  his 
back  !" 

Sir  Walter  looked  at  the  speaker ;  his  teeth  v/ere  set,  and  his  one  eye 
was  glimmering  with  an  unquiet  light.  These  were  evil  omens  ;  and  the 
miscfivings  of  the  Baronet  returned  in  nil  their  force.  He  determined  to 
avoid,  or  postpone,  if  possible,  the  impending  discussion,  whatever  might 
be  its  nature.  They  were  now  in  the  nook  of  an  extensive  heath,  which 
was  traversed  at  some  distance  by  the  high-road  to  the  metropolis  ;  and  in 
this  direction  the  eye  of  Si-r  Walter  involuntarily  glanced,  but  no  coach 
was  in  sight,  no  stir  of  human  life  was  visible,  save  one  solitary  pedestrian 
far  off,  who  was  moving  along  the  heath.  The  Creole  drew  himself  up 
more  stiffly  in  his  scat,  and  looking  steadfastly  strai^^ht  bffote  him,  so  as 
to  avoid  seeing  his  companion,  he  spoke  with  a  slight  but  dignified  wave  of 
the  hand. 

"  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel  declines  all  personal  communicaiion  with  Mr.  So- 
merville." 


TYLNEY    HALL.  253f 

"And  Mr.  Somorvilli?,"  returned  the  Squire,  speaking  with  a  guttural 
sound,  as  if  every  syllahle  grated  in  his  throat,  "will  have  no  further  com- 
munication with  Sir  Walter  Tyrrel.  He  is  now  plain  Wat,  and  may  soon 
he  less  than  that." 

"  The  old  story,"  said  the  Baronet,  smiling  scornfully,  as  he  became  re- 
lieved of  worse  fears.  "  I  have  said,  sir,  that  the  ridiculous  claim  you 
allude  to  must  be  settled  by  proxy.  My  professional  agent  will  meet 
your.*." 

"But  suppose  I  should  insist  on  a  personal  conference,  imder  pain  of 
personal  consequences  ?"  asked  Ned,  in  a  cooler  tone,  with  a  significant 
side-glance  at  his  companion. 

"I  should  resist  and  chastise  so  insolent  a  freedom,"  returned  Sir  Walter, 
but  with  a  falter  in  his  voice. 

"Try  it  on  then,"  ejaculated  Ned,  suddenly  throwing  himself  off  his 
own  horse,  and  seizing  the  bridle  of  the  other.  It  was  effected  so  mo- 
mentarily, that  the  confounded  Baronet  forgot  to  raise  his  whip,  or  to  use 
the  spur. 

"  Five  minutes  in  words  with  you,  or  you  lose  your  seat !" 

"  If  I  comply  with  your  humour,"  said  Walter,  reddening,  "it  is  only 
because  I  am  loath  to  forget  the  gentleman  in  the  ruffian.  But  I  choose  to 
prefer  another  time.     Come  to  me  at  the  Hall." 

"Now  or  never,"  answered  the  Squire,  with  a  slight  stamp  of  the  foot ; 
"  here,  or  nowhere." 

"  You  presume  on  my  last  concession,  sir,"  said  the  Baronet ;  "  but  have 
your  way ;  courtesy  shall  be  stretched  on  my  side,  to  atone  for  the  want  of 
it  on  yours." 

"  Dismount,"  said  the  Squire. 

A  hot  blush  of  rage  and  shame  flushed  the  face  of  Sir  Walter,  as  he 
slowly  complied  with  this  brief  mandate ;  but  whatever  courage  he  pos- 
sessed, was  undermined  by  fear  and  guilt.  He  knew  the  rottenness  of  his 
foundation  ;  and  his  spirit  did  not  rise  as  he  saw  the  Squire  lead  the  two 
horses  to  the  gate,  to  which  he  fastened  them  with  peculiar  care.  After 
this  operation  had  been  deliberately  performed,  Ned  returned  slowly  back, 
with  his  face  turned  towards  the  earth,  and  each  hand  plunged  into  the 
ample  pockets  of  his  green  shooting-jacket.  He  stopped  full  in  front  of  the 
Creole,  upon  whom  he  fixed  his  one  eye  in  dead  silence.  A  minute  passed, 
and  he  did  not  speak  or  stir ;  another,  and  another,  and  another.  It  has 
been  said  that  no  animal,  not  even  the  lion  excepted,  can  withstand  the  fix- 
ed, settled  gaze  of  the  human  eye,  without  much  restlessness  and  some 
fear  ;  and  if  these  be  tokens  of  their  inferiority  to  man,  the  Creole  was  de- 
graded to  the  level  of  the  brute.  He  flinched  —  he  trembled,  under  the 
solitary  orb  that  was  scanning  him:  — he  could  almost  have  turned  and 
fled.  But  all  suspense  is  worse  than  certainty,  and  he  hastened  to  speak 
with  affected  indifference. 

"  Now  then,  sir,  for  the  birth,  pedigree,  and  performances  of  your  tatter- 
ed protegee." 

"  That  is  gone  by,"  said  the  Squire,  with  a  hollow  voice,  "I  have  two 
graver  questions  to  put.  Where  is  Ringwood?"  and  his  right  hand  drew  a 
long  duellinsr-pistol  from  his  pocket.  "  Where  is  Raby?"  and  his  other 
hand  produced  the  fellow- weapon. 

"  Why  !"  exclaimed  Sir  Walter,  turning  pale  and  recoiling  a  step  or  two 
backwards,  "  do  you  mean  to  murder  me  ?" 

"It  would  be  in  your  own  line,"  answered  Ned,  between  his  teeth; 
"  but  foul  as  it  was,  you  shall  have  fair  play.  One  of  us  two  must  die  on 
this  turf." 

"  No  !"  said  Sir  Walter,  averting  his  head,  with  a  corresponding  gesture 
of  his  hands,  "  there  has  been  blood  enough  she<l  —  by  accident !" 

"You  li'\  monster!  you  lie!"  cried  the  Squire,  with  a  terrible  voice, 
4* 


254  TYLNEY  HALL. 

thrilling  with  parsion.  "  Think  of  your  cousins  ;  think  of  Sir  Mark, 
{f  you  "had  Uu-ee  lives,  I  'd  take  them  all !  You  snail  die  the  death  of  a 
dog  !" 

"Mr.  Sonierville,"  said  Sir  Walter,  but  he  visibly  trembled,  and  his  voice 
was  almost  a  croak  :  "  my  dear  Squire,  you  are  misled.  Let  us,  at  least, 
explain  before  we.  cast  away  our  lives  upon  a  mistake.  Inform  me  of  the 
grounds  of  your  baseless  suspicions :  appearances  may  be  against  me, 
which  a  few  words  would  remove." 

"  Read  that,  and  then  that,"  answered  the  Squire,  handing  a  couple  of 
letters,  "  and  then  remove  what  you  may !" 

The  Creole  took  the  papers  with  a  trembling  hand,  and,  opening  the  first, 
read  as  follows  :  — 

"Dear  Squire — The  enclosed  was  seized,  amongst  other  papers,  by 
the  creditors  of  a  deceased  swindler  and  gambler.  As  a  fellow  sufferer,  I 
had  access  to  the  documents,  and  the  one  I  send  only  lately  excited  my  at- 
tention. It  obviously  refers  to  some  deep  villany,  and  as  I  know  you  to  be 
a  very  old  intimate  at  Tylney  Hall,  I  place  the  enclosed  at  your  discre- 
tion. 

**  Your  friend  and  fellow-sportsman, 

"  Harry  L.  Carew." 

A  glance  at  the  second  paper  sufficed  to  shake  the  least  nerve  in  the 
frame  of  the  Creole :  it  was  his  own  letter  to  Woodley,  containing  the 
outline  of  his  own  ambitious  schemes,  and  his  commendation  of  Raby  to 
his  confederate's  care,  —  like  the  dove  to  the  protection  of  the  falcon.  The 
crisis  of  his  fate  was  come.  His  teeth  chattered,  and  the  hair  rose  on  his 
head.  The  earth  seemed  opening  under  him  as  a  living  grave,  and  a  pre- 
cocious death-sweat  broke  out  upon  his  forehead.  But  one  chance  remain- 
ed, and  he  seized  it  with  the  desperation  of  a  ruined  man. 

"  I  adopt  your  alternative  —  give  me  a  pistol." 

"Take  your  choice,"  said  Ned,  "all  right  —  loaded  an  hour  ago!"  and 
he  tendered  the  weapons  with  the  enviable  serenity  of  a  good  conscience. 
He  was  as  cool,  and  his  hand  as  steady,  as  if  he  had  been  only  going  to 
shoot  at  a  target,  instead  of  a  living  antagonist.  The  enormous  guilt  of  the 
latter  made  the  act  the  Squire  contemplated  seem  a  righteous  one,  in  which 
he  was  but  the  instrument  of  the  divine  judgment  on  a  murderer.  Sir 
Walter,  in  the  mean  time,  had  selected  a  weapon,  and  stood  irresolute,  as 
if  revolving  what  should  be  the  nature  of  his  next  step.  His  pistol  once 
rose  a  little  upward,  but  it  instantly  dropped  again  by  his  side. 

"Long  shot  or  short!"  said  the  Squire,  "  name  your  own  distance." 

"  Twelve  paces,"  said  Sir  Walter  ;  "  or  fifteen,"  he  added,  unconsciously 
acknowledging  the  deadly  skill  of  his  opponent. 

The  Squire  made  no  reply,  but  proceeded  to  measure  off  the  required 
distance,  the  double  click  of  the  Creole's  weapon,  as  he  put  it  upon  full- 
cock,  striking  upon  his  ear  as  he  completed  the  third  stride  ;  the  sixth  had 
hardly  been  taken,  when  the  report  rang,  and  the  bullet  whistled  close  by 
the  Squire's  head. 

Ned  stopped  short  and  wheeled  round.  His  eye  glanced  fiercely  for  an 
instant  at  the  assassin  ;  the  fatal  barrel  rose  to  its  unerring  level  —  a  slight 
touch  of  the  forefinger  did  the  rest,  and,  after  a  convulsive  leap.  Sir  Walter 
Tyrrel  fell  on  his  back  on  the  grass,  with  a  ball  through  his  body. 

In  a  moment  Ned  was  bending  over  him,  but  not  in  remorse  or  pity. 
"  One  word,  villain,  for  your  soul's  sake,"  he  said  ;  "  did  you  see  him  in  the 
fern  ?" 

"  I  did  —  God  forgive  me !"  said  the  dying  man,  rolling  himself  over  as 
he  completed  the  confession,  so  as  to  lie  with  his  face  downwards. 

"Then  die!  the  sooner  the  better,"  and  a  blow  from  the  butt  end  of  the 


TYLNET   HALL.  255 

Squire's  pistol  sped  the  parting  spirit  in  its  exit.  The  savage  act  spoke 
terribly  the  awful  amount  of  misery  and  anguish  to  be  avenged  —  the  com- 
plicated debt  that  even  death  was  insufficient  to  expiate  ;  one  life  for  three, 
for  the  fate  of  Sir  Mark  was  implicated  in  that  of  his  sons.  The  avenger 
was  influenced  by  this  dreadful  reckoning  when  he  gave  way  to  an  impulse 
of  which  he  repented  the  next  moment.  He  rose  up,  and  was  standing 
musing  intently  over  the  shocking  spectacle  before  him,  when  a  rustling 
made  him  aware  of  the  approach  of  the  foot  passenger,  who,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, had  been  seen  at  a  distance  crossing  the  heath.  He  came  up 
out  of  breath. 

"  I  am  too  late,"  he  panted,  "  I  hoped  to  prevent  bloodshed.  But  what 
do  I  see?  — the  Squire!" 

Ned  turned  and  looked  intently  at  the  speaker,  but  he  could  not  recognise 
him.  He  wore  a  blue  coat  and  trousers,  resembling  the  undress  costume 
of  a  naval  officer;  and  his  face  seemed  weather-beaten  and  toil-worn,, and 
imbrovvned  by  exposure  to  hot  suns  and  the  sharp  sea  air.  Still  there  was 
something  familiar  in  the  features,  as  there  had  been  in  the  voice  of  the 
stranger,  that  made  the  Squire  examine  him  narrowly ;  Tnd  when  the 
true  thought  at  last  dawned  upon  his  mind,  he  literally  gasped  as  he  utter- 
ed the  words  — 

"RabyTyrrel!" 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

Do  you  live  ?  Can  you  feel  this  pinch,  can  you  see  this  hand  I  hold  up  ?  Could  you 
smell  out  a  red-herring  ?  Should  you  hear  a  clap  of  thunder  ?  Are  you  hot  or  cold, — 
would  you  jump  out  of  the  grate,  like  a  parched  pea,  or  turn  blue  or  red  in  a  north 
wind?  Above  all,  are  you  hungry  and  thirsty  ?  Would  your  mouth  water  now  at  a 
fat  capon  with  truffles —  would  your  lips  smack  afcer  a  cup  of  Canary  ?  In  good  plain 
substantial  English  —  are  you  alive? 

The  Ghost  of  Gorhamburt. 

,     Turn,  Angelina,  ever  dear, 
My  charmer,  turn  to  see 
Thy  own,  thy  long-lost  Edwin  here. 
Restored  to  love  and  thee. 

Thus  let  me  hold  thee  to  my  heart, 
And  every  care  resign,  — 
And  shall  we  never,  never  part  ? 
-•     My  life —  my  all  that 's  mine? 

No,  never  from  this  hour  to  part. 
We  '11  live  and  love  so  true, 
Tiie  sigh  that  rends  thy  constant  heart 
Shall  break  thy  Edwin's  too. 

Goldsmith. 

The  Squire  guessed  aright.  It  was  Raby  Tyrrel  who  stood  before  him, 
erect  and  breathing,  whilst  —  so  strange  and  mysterious  are  the  ways  of  Pro- 
vidence —  the  clay  of  the  false  kinsman  who  had  plotted  against  his  life,  lay 
motionless  at  his  feet,  like  the  clod  of  the  valley.  He  instantly  rushed  into 
the  arms  of  the  Squire,  who  was  familiarly  associated  with  the  home  he  re- 
turned to  seek  ;  and  Ned,  convinced  that  he  held  real  flesh  and  blood  in  his 
arms,  returned  the  greeting  with  considerable  warmth.  The  appearance 
of  the  wanderer  indicated  that,  in  addition  to  mental  suffl-riuir  he  had  un- 
dergone great  bodily  hardships  since  his  flight ;  he  was  now  known  to  be  a 
joint  victim  with  Ringwood  of  an  atrocious  scheme  ; — -and  it  was  painful 
to  remember  the  folorn  state  of  the  Hall,  with  but  one  member  of  the  fa- 
mily in  existence  to  welcome  him  back  to  the  domestic  hearth. 


HS56  TYLNEY    HALL. 

"  And  my  father  ?"  asked  Raby  eagerly,  as  they  sundered. 

Ned  shook  his  liead,  and  pointed  to  the  dead  body  :  "  Ask  him  — .  But, 
no  —  gone  different  roads." 

The  querist  gazed  incredulously  at  the  speaker  ;  his  mind  was  reluctant 
to  adopt  such  an  afflicting  interpretation  as  the  words  suggested.  He  look- 
ed from  the  Squire  to  the  body  a:id  back  again  with  a  face  that  asked  for 
explanation. 

"  Be  a  man,"  said  Ned.  "Holdup  —  can't  tell  you  else.  That  vipor 
there  called  himself  Sir  Walter." 

Raby  started,  for  he  had  not  recognised  the  Creole  from  the  body  lying 
on  his  face  ;  but  his  amazement  was  swallowed  up  in  grief  as  the  convic- 
tion came  upon  him  that  his  parent  was  no  more.  He  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands,  and  gave  way  to  a  violent  burst  of  sorrow,  which  the  taci- 
turn Squire  did  not  attempt  to  interrupt.  He  turned  away  from  the  mourn- 
er, and  fixed  his  eye  with  a  fierce  frown  upon  the  lifeless  wretch  who  had 
been  the  origin  of  such  desolation,  and  to  so  many.  His  teeth  were  set, 
and  his  hands  were  clenched,  as  if  he  mentally  spurned  as  carrion  the  vile 
dust  before  hin^. 

Seldom  can  a  man  look  down  on  the  corse  of  a  follow-creature  that  he 
has  bereaved  of  lite  without  a  sensation  of  remorse  and  regret,  and  a  secret 
wish  that  he  could  recall  the  breath  of  life  in  its  nostrils,  and  restore  the 
flowing  blood  to  its  native  arteries  and  veins.  But  the  fiendish  deeds  of  the 
Creole  seemed  to  have  placed  him  out  of  the  pale  of  humanity.  The  slayer 
viewed  the  slain  as  inaccessible  to  compunction  as  the  weapon  he  had  used  : 
even  as  the  victorious  peasant  regards  the  gory  carcass  of  the  cruel  wild 
wolf  that  had  ravaged  his  fair  flock.  "  Ringwood  is  now  in  heaven,"  he 
muttered,  "and  his  murderer  is  in  hell!" 

The  first  stormy  vehemence  of  grief  by  degrees  abated  ;  and  Raby  as- 
sumed the  sad  composure  that  belongs  to  a  confirmed  sorrow,  when  the 
heart  has  no  more  to  hope  or  fear.  He  would  not  trust  himself  to  look 
towards  an  object  associated  with  feelings  of  horror,  affliction,  hatred,  and 
abhorrence,  but  motioned  to  the  Squire,  and  intimated  a  wish  to  leave  the 
dreary  scene  of  this  fresh  tragedy.  The  latter  took  up  the  pistol  which  the 
dead  man  still  retained  in  his  hand,  and  silently  led  the  way  towards  the 
gate,  where  the  horses  were  in  waiting;  he  replaced  the  weapons  in  the 
holsters,  and  was  soon  mounted  on  Barney,  whilst  Raby  placed  himself  in 
the  saddle  which  the  Creole  had  vacated  for  ever;  but  they  did  not  get  into 
motion  for  a  minute  or  two,  for  the  Squire  was  musing. 

'*  Not  to  the  Hall,"  he  said,  at  last,  "  nobody  there  —  go  to  Hawksley  — • 
your  aunt 's  at  the  Justice's." 

"  With  Grace?"  asked  Raby,  v/ith  quivering  lips  and  a  faltering  voice, 
for  his  heart  sunk  within  him  to  inquire  the  fate  of  the  dearest  of  its  ties, 
when  the  frail  tenure  of  human  life  had  just  been  so  forcibly  impressed 
upon  him.  ^ 

"  Like  mother  and  daughter,"  answered  the  Squire,  "and  much  need  — 

both  broken-hearted  —  poor  Grace  —  never  held  up  since  she   lost " 

He  was  going  to  add  poor  Ringwood,  but  he  checked  himself  in  considera- 
tion to  his  companion.  Raby  was  silent,  the  intensest  essence  of  pain  and 
pleasure  were  interming'.ed  in  the  intelligence.  It  wrung  him  with  anguish 
to  conceive  her  withering  and  wasting,  and  losing  the  very  bloom  of  her 
youth  in  sorrow  for  his  sake,  and  yet  her  devotion  to  him,  and  the  evidence 
she  was  giving  of  her  faithful  aflfection  in  clinging  to  him  when  deserted  by 
all  the  whole  world,  thrilled  his  heart  with  ecstasy.  He  instantly  pricked 
Cadeau  into  a  pace  which  made  the  Squire  think  he  must  be  one  of  the 
best  of  nephews,  whom  nothing  but  a  hard  gallop  would  serve  him  in  hia 
eag'TUt^ss  to  be  in  the  arms  of  Mrs.  Hamilton.  In  fact,  by  degrees  the  two 
horses  increased  their  speed  till  it  appeared  but  a  .second  heat  of  the  race 
that  they  had  so  recently  strugg;led  in      It  was  the  first  time  that  Raby  had 


TTLNET    HALL.  257 

appeared  in  the  character  of  a  desperate  rider,  and  the  Squire  was  just  con- 
ceiving hopes  of  him  as  likely  to  make  some  day  a  tolerable  master  of 
hounds,  at  least  as  far  as  riding  up  to  them,  when  to  his  equal  astonishment 
his  companion  pulled  up  so  as  to  throw  his  horse  upon  his  haunches,  and 
then  proceed  at  a  walk. 

"  It  will  be  too  abrupt,"  he  said  to  the  Squire,  "  to  go  to  Hawksley  in 
this  haste,  such  a  shock  might  kill  her." 

"  Not  she,"  answered  the  Squire,  his  head  still  running  upon  the  aunt ; 
''  got  more  game  in  her,  —  more  afraid  for  Grace  when  she  sees  you." 

Ptaby  pulled  up  and  thought  a  little,  and  at  last  formed  his  plan. 

"  You  must  go  on  before.  Squire,  and  prepare  them  for  my  coming  ;  do 
it  as  tenderly  as  you  can.  I  dread  any  sudden  agitation  in  her  weak 
state.     Pray  keep  that  in  mind  :  begin  with  the  remotest  hints." 

"  Need  n't  teach  me,"  said  the  Squire,  with  a  knowing  nod,  "  soon  be 
there  —  be  off  at  once —  one  word  though  —  want  to  know  myself — how 
did  you  come  alive  ?" 

Pcaby  stared  at  the  speaker. 

"  Has  there  been  any  report  of  my  death  ?" 

'*  Report,  eh,"  said  the  Squire,  "  something  more,  dead  and  buried  — 
hearse,  coffin  ;  and  all  that  —  was  at  it  myself." 

"  Buried  !"  said  Raby,  with  fresh  amazement,  and  gazing  intently  at  the 
Squire,  as  if  he  thought  he  must  be  unsettled  in  his  wits. 

**' Buried  regularly,"  answered  Ned;  "had  old  Stubbs  on  your  body, 
found  drowned — family  vault — funeral  service,  and  every  thing — ask 
Dr.  Cobb." 

A  suspicion  of  the  truth  flashed  across  Raby's  mind  in  a  moment. 

"  There  has  been  some  mistake,"  he  said  :  "  what  was  the  dress?" 

"  Glueer  enough,"  answered  Ned,  with  an  involuntary  smile ;  "  corded 
breeches,  leather  leggings,  black  silk  waistcoat,  and  swallow-tailed  coat." 

"I  am  right,"  said  Raby,  "that  body.  Squire,  was  poor  George  the  sad- 
dler's. I  met  with  him  in  the' forest  at  a  time  when  I  was  beset  with  false 
terrors.  I  confessed  I  was  a  fugitive  for  my  life,  and  at  his  persuasion  I 
partly  changed  clothes  with  him." 

"  That's  enough,"  said  Ned,  "  see  through  it  all  —  dead  by  proxy  — bet- 
ter luck  for  you,  —  follow  at  a  walk." 

And  away  he  galloped  upon  Barney,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

Raby  was  now  left  to  his  own  reflections,  and  they  were  many,  and  of 
various  complexions.  Such  is  the  uneven  course  of  human  life,  that  mono- 
tonous years  sometimes  roll  over  one's  head  which  are  only  distinouishable 
from  each  other  by  their  dates  in  the  almanac  ;  and  then  come  thronging 
event;*  of  vital  interest  and  importance,  crowded  into  the  space  of  a  few 
days,  nay  hours.  Thus  during  one  revolution  of  the  long  hand  upon  the 
dial,  Raby  had  found  himself  a  witness  of  the  fall  of  his  arch  enemy,  a 
mourner  for  the  loss  of  his  father,  and  a  lover  outstripping  the  wind  to  re- 
join the  mistress  of  his  soul.  In  such  exciting  moments,  whilst  all  the 
passions  are  conflicting  within,  the  spirit  feels  and  owns  its  immortality 
whether  for  bliss  or  bale.  Instinct  with  high  impulses  and  powerful  ener- 
gies, the  soul  feels  too  godlike  to  depend  with  a  contingent  existence  upon 
a  little  dust.  The  outward  senses  may  perish,  but  the  inward  feelings  is 
the  life  of  life.  In  this  exalted  state  of  being,  Raby  was  rapt:  grief  and 
joy,  hope  and  fear,  were  panting  at  their  extremest  pitch,  and  the  mere  ma- 
leri  d  world  around  was  as  the  shadow  of  a  dream.  In  a  deep  reverie  he 
arrived  at  Hawk?ley,  and  Cadcau  was  left  to  depart,  or  remain  at  tlie  sate 
at  will,  with  the  bridle  on  his  neck,  whilst  the  rider  passed  throusli  the  fa- 
miliar wicket,  and  hurried  across  the  front  court  and  entered  the  front  door, 
which  was  no  sooner  opened  to  him,  than  the  hall  resounded  with  female 
slirieks.  The  Squire,  who  had  executed  his  mission  with  admiral)le  tact  to 
Grace  and  Mrs.  Hamilton,  had  not  thought  it  necessary  to  break  the  news 


25S  TYLNEY   HALL. 

to  anybody  else,  and  accordingly,  when  Tibbie,who  opened  the  door,  beheld 
tlie  face  of  Raby,  which  she  instantly  recognised,  she  set  up  a  loud  scream, 
and  exclaiming,  "  A  wraith!  a  wraitli!"  rushed  ofTinto  the  kitchen,  to  in- 
fect ull  the  other  servants  with  her  national  terrors.  Alarmed  by  this  re- 
ception, Rahy  flew  up  stairs  to  the  drawing-room,  and  in  a  moment,  heed- 
less of  any  other  presence,  the  betrothed  lovers  were  folded,  weeping  and 
silent,  in  each  other's  arms,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  with  clasped  hands  and 
streaming  eyes,  enjoyed  the  sight  of  such  an  unhoped-for  consummation. 
The  stern  Justice  looked  on  with  a  countenance  strangely  softened  ;  but 
the  astounded  Squire  actually  gave  a  whistle  of  surprise,  as  he  asked  him- 
self the  question, — Was  it  possible  she  could  have  loved  the  two  brothers 
at  once  ?  Of  course  his  reason  answered  in  the  negative,  but  while  it  re- 
lieved Grace  from  the  imputation  of  fickleness  and  double  dealing,  it  was  at 
some  expense  to  her  good  taste. 

"My  own,  my  own  dear  Grace?"  murmured  Raby,  "do  we  meet  at 
last?" 

And  he  confessed  in  his  heart,  that  the  present  moment  repaid  him  for 
all  his  past  sufferings,  however  intense.  Grace  was  unable  to  speak,  but 
her  arms  replied  for  her  as  they  clung  more  closely  round  his  neck. 

"  I  must  claim  my  share,  Raby,  in  your  remembrance,"  said  Mrs. 
Hamilton,  who  prudently  interfered  to  divert  and  moderate  the  feelings  of 
the  young  pair,  and  the  aunt  and  nephew  embraced  with  great  affection. 
The'  Squire's  tact  suggested  the  same  course  to  him,  he  took  the  han  *of 
Grace  and  led  her  to  a  chair. 

"  Kissing  enough,"  he  said,  "  plenty  of  time  before  you;  cool  your  heart 
a  bit  —  mus'n't  burst  it  with  an  over-charge." 

"  The  Squire  is  right,  Grace,"  said  her  father,  approaching  and  fondly 
patting  her  on  the  head  —  "  Compose  yourself  a  little  now,  and  be  as  happy 
afterwards  as  I  wish  you." 

He  then  went  and  warmly  welcomed  his  adopted  son-in-law,  whose  re- 
appearance was  to  restore  his  beloved  daughter  from  that  grave  to  which 
she  seemed  rapidly  hastening.  The  lustrous  eyes  of  Grace,  and  the  happy 
tint  which  had  already  revived  upon  her  cheek,  amply  repaid  the  parent  for 
his  kindness,  whilst  he  enjoyed  the  removal  of  a  burden  of  self-reproach 
which  had  weighed  heavily  on  his  mind.  Even  the  Squire,  though  his  satis- 
faction was  damped  by  looking  more  backward  than  the  others,  rejoiced 
that  a  vestige  was  left  of  the  brave  old  house  of  Tyrrel.  He  rubbed  his 
hands,  walked  restlessly  up  and  down,  and,  finally,  gave  Raby  a  slap  on 
the  back,  wishing  him  joy  as  Sir  Raby  Tyrrel,  with  this  awkward  compli- 
ment, 

"  Glad  you've  turned  up,  boy,  —  ought  to  have  been  otherwise,  —  must 
feel  that,  --  but  better  than  nobody  at  all." 

In  the  mean  time,  the  lovers  regarded  each  other  with  earnest  interest, 
mutually  noting  the  alterations  in  each  other's  appearance.  Grace  was 
particularly  struck  with  the  brown  hue  of  Raby's  countenance,  hinting 
foreign  travel,  and  she  yearned  to  be  at  liberty  to  listen  to  the  narrative  of 
his  hardships,  and  recompense  him  with  her  sympathy  for  his  past  sorrows  ; 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  shared  in  the  same  wish.  The  justice  shortly  after 
retiring  with  the  Squire  to  his  study,  to  consult  upon  what  was  to  be  done 
with  the  Creole's  body,  and  to  concert  subsequent  measures,  Raby  entered 
upon  the  subject  of  his  wanderings,  and  gave  a  hasty  sketch  of  his  fortunes 
and  adventures.  He  could  not,  of  course,  trace  the  moral  effect  of  his 
variegated  course  upon  himself,  wherefore  an  abstract  shall  be  given  with 
a  conimentary.  To  pass  over,  as  he  did,  the  catastrophe  which  made  him 
a  fugitive,  and  the  horrors  of  the  subsequent  stormy  night,  spent  in  the 
open  forest;  on  the  following  day  he  arrived  at  Woodley's,  in  St,  .Tames's 
Street,  who,  according  to  the  instructions  of  the  Creole,  received  him  with 
every  demonstration  of  kindness  and  interest  in  his  fate.    Intense  anxiety 


TYLNEY    HALL.  259 

and  hurry  were  affected,  and  the  very  next  morning  he  was  shipped,  with  a 
Hundred  pounds  in  his  pocket,  and  hctitious  letters  of  recomniendalion,  on 
board  of  a  vessel  which  was  going,  it  was  professed,  on  a  voyage  of  disco- 
very, where  Raby's  talents,  his  skill  in  drawing,  and  his  love  of  botany, 
would  make  him  an  acquisition.  The  captain,  however,  was  a  notorious 
kidnapper,  and  the  ship  had  proceeded  but  half  way  on  her  destination, 
when  she  was  seized  by  an  armed  sloop  that  had  been  sent  off  in  pursuit  of 
her,  at  the  instigation  of  the  relatives  of  a  youn_g  man  of  family,  who  was 
missing.  Thus  was  Raby  saved,  probably,  from  the  dreadful  tate  of  becom- 
ing a  slave  in  the  Plantalions.  The  youth  they  were  in  quest  of,  however, 
was  not  on  board,  but  Raby,  whose  eyes  were  opened  to  his  danger,  took 
refuge  in  the  sloop,  the  captain  of  which  happened  to  be  an  old  school-fel- 
low. He  was  a  kind-heurted,  generous,  and  shrewd  man  ;  and  he  soon 
detected  that  some  segrtt  grief  was  preying  upon  the  mind  of  his  passenger, 
who,  in  the  course  of  a  Cow  weeks,  acquired  his  warmest  regard  and 
esteem.  By  degrees,  he  won  Raby's  entire  confidence,  and  in  the  dreadful 
story  that  was  confided  to  hi  in,  the  captain,  a  veteran  in  the  ways  of  life, 
immediately  suspected  villany,  and  eventually  brought  Raby  over  to  his 
own  opinion.  The  feelings  of  the  latter  underwent  an  immediate  change  ; 
indignation  and  disgust  took  the  place  of  remorse  and  self-reproach;  his 
mind  was  re-strung,  while  the  sharp  bracing  sea  air  invigorated  his  frame. 
He  had  besides  to  take  a  share  in  stirring  events  and  active  labour.  A 
dreadful  storm  had  compelled  every  hand  on  board  to  work  at  the  pumps  ; 
and,  on  another  occasion,  the  attack  of  a  celebrated  pirate,  notorious  for 
never  giving  quarter,  armed  every  hand  for  its  life,  and  Raby,  in  extreme 
contrast  to  all  his  former  habits,  found  himself  fighting  foot  to  foot,  and 
dealing  wounds  and  destruction  on  savages  in  the  shape  of  men.  The 
effect  of  these  compulsory  exertions  was  very  salutary;  the  energies  of  his 
mind  and  body  were  aroused,  his  spirit  rallied,  and  the  gentle  Raby  lost  a 
portion  of  his  gentleness,  which  he  could  well  spare.  He  determined  even 
to  do  vengeance  on  his  treacherous  kinsman,  and  kept  earnest  watch  for 
the  white  cliff*  of  his  country,  with  mingled  yearnings.  But  the  return  of 
the  sloop  was  delayed  by  counter  orders  received  at  sea,  and  the  impatience 
of  the  exile  made  him  embark  himself  on  board  a  small  merchantman, 
which  wTis  soon  after  taken  by  a  French  privateer.  A  new  prospect  now 
opened  upon  him  of  being  a  prisoner,  perhaps  for  life,  in  a  foreign  dungeon; 
when,  even  in  sight  of  the  French  coast,  an  English  gun-brig  hove  in  sight, 
and,  after  a  short  but  animated  chase,  and  a  long  and  desperate  action,  the 
privateer  struck,  and  Raby  again  found  himself  at  liberty  amongst  his 
countrymen.  A  fishing  smack  set  him  on  shore,  with  slender  means,  and 
without  credentials,  on  the  coast  of  his  native  country,  and  a  great  part  of 
his  journey  towards  the  Hall  had  been  made  on  foot.  Such  rapid  vicissi- 
tudes of  fortime,  however  trying  and  attended  with  agony,  had  been  of  the 
most  signal  benefit,  bodily  and  mentally,  to  his  constitution ;  like  the  prac- 
tice of  a  skilful  but  severe  surgeon,  they  had  removed  all  the  morbid  parts 
that  prevented  the  healing  of  his  wounds.  He  aroused  from  the  dreary  ab- 
stractions of  poetry,  to  the  stern  practical  prose  of  human  life,  and  was  an 
altered  man.  But  his  head  had  changed,  not  his  heart;  his  views  were 
different,  not  his  feelings.  With  the  same  old  love  for  the  really  beautiful 
and  really  good,  he  had  learned  to  detect  and  abhor  their  stinmlants  :  with 
the  same  tenderness  and  gentleness  as  before,  towards  the  tender  and  gen- 
tle, he  had  acquired  a  spirit  of  active  not  passive  resistance  to  the  violent  and 
t!ie  unjust. 

It  is  a  modern  discovery,  that  a  hard  blow  will  render  any  bar  of  iron 
rnaiinctic  when  held  in  a  due  direction,  and  by  something  of  the  same  ham- 
mering process,  his  heart  had  ac(juired  its  complet<;  polarity  of  attraction 
and  repulsion.  He  had  only  loved  formerly,  but  in  addition,  he  now  hated, 
in  the  moral  acceptation  of  that  word  b^  Doctor  Johnson;  and  he  hud  b^ 


260  TYLNEY    HALL. 

come,  to  adopt  an  expressive  phrase  of  the  Fancy,  "  good  with  both  hands." 
In  the  more  apposite  words  of  Miranda,  in  the  Tempest,  in  reference  to  her 
beloved  Ferdinand,  the  affectionate  Grace  could  apply  the  same  perfect 
character  to  iier  restored  lover,  that  he  was  "  gentle  and  not-fearful." 

In  justification  of  this  theory,  Raby's  eyes  glowed  as  he  described  the 
sea-fight  with  the  pirate,  and  how,  contending  for  life,  liberty,  and  love,  he 
slew  the  chief  renegade  with  his  own  sword.  His  hands  were  clenched,  and 
his  teeth  set,  as  he  mentioned  St.  Kitts  ;  and  his  foot  even  stamped  as  ho 
confessed  that  his  first  object  on  touching  English  ground  was  lo  strelch 
his  murderous  kinsman  on  its  turf.  But  then  he  melted  like  a  woman  when 
he  spoke  of  his  father  and  brother,  and  the  sufferings  of  his  dear  Grace  ;  he 
was  still  the  same  affectionate  merciful  being,  in  love  with  all  creatures, 
however  minute,  that  were  harmless  and  unoffending.  He  had  no  longer 
any  spurious  sensibility,  it  is  true :  he  would  have  shot  a  hare,  a  pheasant, 
or  a  partridge,  but  he  would  not  "  needlessly  set  foot  upon  a  worm." 

On  the  anniversary  of  Raby's  return,  he  was  united  to  Grace  Rivers,  a 
union  that  promised  the  more  felicity  as  the  parties  had  already  fulfilled 
that  universal  condition  of  human  happiness,  that  it  shall  be  alloyed  with' 
grief.  Their  bliss  was  as  perfect  as  it  was  pure,  and  as  they  stood  toge- 
ther at  the  altar,  the  young  couple  might  have  adopted  the  beautiful  Unes 
c uoted  in  *'  The  Old  Couple  :"  — 

"  Blest  happiness  !  —  Gently,  my  joys,  distil. 
Lest  ye  do  break  the  vessel  you  should  Jill .'" 


POSTSCRIPT. 

The  postcript  of  a  letter  is  generally  supposed  to  contain  the  subjects  nearest  to  the 
writer's  heart ;  but  in  a  novel,  on  the  contrary,  it  merely  glances  usually  at  the  fate  and 
fortunes  of  the  subordinate  characters  of  the  Dramatis  Persona,.  Briefly,  then,  be  it 
said,  that  a  Coroner's  verdict  of  "  Justifiable  Homicide"  absolved  the  Squire  from  all 
legal  consequences  on  account  of  the  death  of  the  Creole.  The  evidence  of  Raby,  in 
proof  of  the  unfair  conduct  of  the  deceased,  in  shooting  so  prematurely,  partly  induc- 
ing the  jury  to  give  such  a  sentence.  Ned,  however,  was  coniderably  embarrassed  by 
having  his  protegee  left  upon  his  hands,  whose  claims  had  been  superseded  by  the  re- 
turn of  a  nearer  Heir  to  the  Hall ;  but  from  this  difficulty  he  was  extricated  by  the  poor 
student  himself.  For  some  time  he  maintained  a  decent  exterior  and  correct  conduct ; 
but  one  unlucky  day  the  influence  of  his  old  habits  prevailed,  and  for  the  ensuing  week 
he  was  never  sober  for  an  hour.  Occasionally,  Mr.  Twigg  had  the  mortification  of  see- 
ing his  cousin  ranting  before  his  door,  "  with  his  tail  on,"  as  the  Highlanders  say  of 
their  chieftains,  for  there  was  always  a  troop  of  boys  laughing,  capering,  and  shouting 
after  Tom  in  Tatters.  This  annoyance,  added  to  the  failure  of  all  their  country  specu- 
lations, gave  a  disgust  to  the  Ex-Sheriff  and  his  family  ;  they  suddenly  found  out  that 
the  air  of  Hoilington  did  not  agree  with  them,  — the  Hive  was  sold  at  less  than  prime 
cost,  —  and  they  returned  to  the  metropolis,  where  the  blue  and  orange  liveries,  and  the 
bright  brass  bees,  were  paraded  every  Sunday  in  Hyde  Park.  Matilda  gave  her  hand 
to  a  rich  soap-boiler;  and  T.  Junior  married  a  house-maid,  to  the  utter  dismay  of  his 
family,  and  their  displeasure  was  aggravated  by  his  defence.  She  was  *•  a  tight  little 
one,"  he  said :  "twice  as  much  of  a  lady  as  his  mother  ;  and  as  a  beauty,  beat  'Tilda 
all  to  sticks.*' 

Similar  to  the  fate  of  Tom  in  Tatters,  was  that  of  Unlucky  Joe,  who  also  found  a  pa 
tron.  The  new  Baronet  tried  to  mend  his  fortune  by  installing  him  in  the  porter's  lodge 
at  the  Hafl ;  but  though  luck  came  at  last,  it  arrived  too  late. 

Tne  p  )or  fatalist,  in  his  way  to  take  possession,  was  knocked  down,  and  run  over  by 
the  last  of  all  vehicles  that  ought  to  run  away,  a  broad-wheeled  wagon.  Strange  to  say, 
his  misfortunes  arrived  at  this  climax,  corresponding  with  his  own  superstitious  fore- 
bodings, on  a  Friday,  and  on  that  very  Friday,  too,  which,  in  the  Christian  calendar, 
is  described  as  Good  ! 

The  remains  of  Indiana  slept  undiscovered  for  year^  and  when  found  at  last,  pre- 
sented merely  a  human  skeleton  enveloped  in  laded  silk.  Her  name  and  origin  were 
unknown,  and  she  was  never  spoken  of,  but  as  the  Queen  of  the  Gipsies,  nor  was  any 
human  being  conscious  of  the  secret  intluence  she  hud  exercised  over  the  fate  of  tw« 
generations  of  the  family  that  inherited  Tylney  Hall. 

THE  END  OF  TYLNEY  HALL. 


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